Virtual Secret Santa for groups that are far apart.

Draw names online, send links one by one

With a remote group there's no hat to pass around, so the draw happens online. Open the free generator, name the group, pick a budget, set the date of your video call, and add at least three people. For each one you can add a few interests so their Santa has something to go on.

Press draw and you get one private link per person. Send each link to its owner in a direct message, a text or an email. Each link shows only that person's match: the name of who they're gifting, the budget, the date and the interests you entered. Nobody gets the full list.

Handle addresses privately

Here's the one step the site doesn't do: the Secret Santa link doesn't include a mailing address, and the site doesn't collect addresses at all. Your group needs a plan for this, and it should keep people's home addresses out of the group chat.

Three approaches that work well:

• The organizer passes addresses one-to-one. Before the draw, ask everyone to send you their address privately. After the draw, send each Santa their recipient's address in the same private message as their link. Only you and the giver see it.
• Recipients use a ship-to-self option. Some retailers let the buyer send a gift link so the recipient enters their own address. The Santa never needs the address.
• Go digital. An e-gift card, a subscription or a digital download can be sent by email, which only needs a contact the group already shares.

Whichever you choose, say so in the invite so people know what to expect before they agree to join.

Set shipping deadlines that are realistic

Late parcels are a frequent problem with remote exchanges. Work backwards from the day of your video call:

• Order about two weeks ahead for gifts shipping within the same country.
• Allow longer for international shipping, and longer again in December, when carriers are busy and customs can add delays.
• Send the links early. If your call is on the 18th, getting links out by the start of the month gives people time to choose, order and ship.

Put the "order by" date in your invite next to the budget. If a gift is running late, it's fine to open it on camera with a promise of "the real thing is in the post".

Keep the budget fair when shipping costs vary

Shipping can eat a big share of a small budget, and it costs more for some people than others. Decide up front whether shipping counts toward the budget. Many groups say it does, which keeps the total fair for everyone.

When you set up the draw you can choose $10, $20, $30, $50, $75 or $100. For a remote group, choosing one step higher than you would in person can leave room for postage. The budget appears on every link, so nobody has to remember it. For ideas, see gifts under $25 or gifts under $50.

Digital gift ideas that arrive on time

Digital gifts avoid shipping entirely and suit people who are hard to post to. A few that tend to go down well:

• A gift card for a coffee shop or food delivery service they already use
• A month of a streaming, audiobook or music subscription
• An online class or workshop tied to a hobby
• An e-book or digital game they've mentioned
• A donation in their name to a cause they care about, if you know they'd like that

On the reveal, each person also sees four gift ideas matched to their recipient's interests and the budget, with estimated prices. "More ideas" shows another set if the first four don't fit.

Pick a time that works across time zones

If your group spans several time zones, list where everyone is and look for the overlap. For groups split between Europe and the Americas, late morning in the Americas is often early evening in Europe. For wider spreads, rotate the inconvenience from year to year, or offer two short calls.

Keep the call short: 30 to 45 minutes is plenty for most groups. Put the date on the draw so it shows on everyone's link.

The unwrap on a video call

This is the fun part. A few formats to choose from:

• Open gifts on camera. Go around one by one. Each person opens their gift, and the group guesses who their Santa was before the giver owns up.
• Open the Secret Santa links live. If you run the draw close to the call, everyone can open their own link on camera, pull the ribbon on the wrapped gift, and react to "You're gifting…" in real time. Just remember to keep the screen to themselves.
• Both. Open the links live at a kickoff call, then hold a second call for unwrapping once parcels arrive.

Want to show people what the link looks like before the day? Share the demo, which uses a sample match. For remote teams at work, the coworker guide covers opt-in and gift etiquette.

Questions people ask