Secret Santa Rules for Remote Teams

Last December, our team tried to do Secret Santa over a shared spreadsheet. Someone accidentally saw the whole list. Someone else forgot to check who they were matched with until December 23rd. And two people bought the same $15 Amazon gift card for different people.

Sound familiar? Remote Secret Santa has a logistics problem that in-person exchanges don't. When you can't pass a hat around a conference table, you need a bit more structure. Here's what actually works, based on teams that have done it well.

Agree on the Rules Before You Start

This sounds obvious, but it's the step most teams skip. Post the rules in your Slack channel or team chat before anyone draws names. The essentials:

• Budget range (we found $25-50 is the sweet spot for most teams)
• Exchange date and time
• Whether digital gifts are okay (they probably should be, especially for international teams)
• Shipping deadline if physical gifts are happening

One thing people forget: if your team spans multiple countries, budget hits differently. $50 in San Francisco is not the same as $50 in Lagos or Nairobi. Pick a range that feels fair for everyone, or use a tool that lets you set budgets in local currencies.

Ditch the Spreadsheet

The spreadsheet approach breaks for remote teams. Someone has to manually assign matches, which means that person knows everything. And there's always a risk of accidental reveals when sharing documents.

We built GiftDice partly because of this exact frustration. You create a group, share the invite link, and when everyone's joined, one click draws the matches. Each person gets a private notification with only their match — nobody else can see it, not even the organizer. One of our users, a team lead at a distributed startup, told us it took her “literally 30 seconds to set up what used to be a 45-minute coordination nightmare.”

The Wishlist Thing Is Not Optional

Here's the honest truth: buying a gift for someone you only see on Zoom calls is hard. You don't know their taste, their apartment, or whether they already have three portable phone chargers.

Make wishlists mandatory, not optional. When everyone adds 5-10 items to a shareable wishlist, it transforms the exchange from stressful guessing to fun shopping. The reservation system means two people can't accidentally buy the same thing, either.

Build in a Buffer for Shipping

If your team is doing physical gifts (and honestly, physical gifts hit different), set the shipping deadline at least a week before your reveal party. Two weeks if you're crossing borders. International customs don't care about your team's holiday timeline.

A workaround that works great: order directly to your match's address from an online store. Amazon, Etsy, and local shops all ship gifts. You skip the “mail it to yourself, wrap it, mail it again” dance.

The Virtual Unwrapping Party Makes It

Don't just mail gifts and call it done. Schedule a 30-minute video call where everyone opens gifts together. It's awkward for about 10 seconds, then it's genuinely one of the best team bonding moments you'll have all year.

If you used GiftDice for matching, the dice-roll reveal animation gives people a fun moment before they open. A few teams have told us they screen-share the reveal during the call and everyone watches together.

For International Teams: Go Digital

If your team spans 3+ time zones and multiple countries, digital gifts save everyone headaches. Some ideas that work across borders:

• Streaming subscriptions (Netflix, Spotify, Audible)
• Online course credits (MasterClass, Udemy)
• Charity donations in someone's name
• Local restaurant gift cards (ask them their favorite spot)

Quick Setup Recap

1. Post rules in your team channel (budget, date, digital vs. physical)
2. Create a group on GiftDice and share the invite link
3. Wait for everyone to join, then draw matches
4. Everyone creates a wishlist with 5-10 ideas
5. Set a shipping deadline (1-2 weeks before the party)
6. Schedule a virtual unwrapping call

The whole setup takes about two minutes. The actual exchange creates memories that last a lot longer.