Secret Santa 101
What is a Secret Santa gift exchange?
It's a playful way to swap gifts where everyone gives and receives exactly one surprise. Secret Samta keeps the drawing fair, the details organized, and the matches hidden until reveal time.
How it works
- Everyone who wants to play signs up and shares a wish list or preferences.
- Each person is randomly assigned someone else to buy a gift for. You keep who you got a secret.
- Gifts are exchanged on a set date-either in person or by mailing/delivering them if you're remote.
- After the exchange, folks can reveal who their Secret Santa was or keep it mysterious forever.
Hosting remotely? Participants can opt for digital gifts instead of mailing a package.
For exchange owners
How to run your exchange
Sign in with a magic link
Enter your email, check your inbox (or spam), and click the magic link. You can trust the device for 30 days so you stay signed in while managing your exchange.
Create your exchange
From Dashboard > Create new exchange, fill the form: Exchange name (required), Group name (optional), Budget notes, Mode (Remote or In person), Signup deadline, and Exchange date. Click “Save and continue” to mint a join code and open your admin page.
Share the invite link
Open your exchange dashboard, copy the invite link with the Copy button, and drop it in your Skool post or DM.
Join your own exchange
Use the “Join the exchange yourself” form: add your name, Skool URL, address (or check “I prefer a virtual gift”), then hit “Add me as a participant.”
Manage people
Each row has a Remove action. Clicking it opens a confirm modal—approve to kick someone. If you joined, the same flow lets you leave. Removing someone drops any assignments tied to them; click “Run matching” again to reshuffle, then “Save arrangement” and “Finalize matches!” to lock the new pairs.
Run and edit matches
Click “Run matching” once at least two people have joined. Drag the red recipient cards to reshuffle who each Santa has, then click “Save arrangement.”
Finalize
When you like the pairings, hit “Finalize matches!” to lock them. Drag-and-drop and re-matching disable, and participants can reveal their match cards.
Downloads & cleanup
Use “Export CSV” for the participant list and “Download CSV” for finalized matches. Need a reset? Type DELETE and click “Delete exchange.”
For participants
How to join and play
Sign in with a magic link
Type your email, then tap the link we send (peek at spam just in case). You can mark the device as trusted for 30 days so you don’t have to re-auth every visit.
Join with the invite link
Follow the link, sign in, and submit your name, Skool profile URL, and address. Choose “I prefer a virtual gift” if you don’t want to share an address.
Add wishlist & preferences
Optional text areas let you leave hints, sizes, or do-not-buy notes so your Santa shops smart.
See your match
After the host finalizes, a “Your Match” card appears on your exchange page. Tap “Reveal” to flip it and read their email, address, wishlist, and prefs. Use “Hide match” to flip it back.
Leave if you need to
On the exchange page, click “Leave exchange,” confirm in the modal, and you’re out. You can rejoin later with the same invite link.