Secret Santa generator
Everyone gives once. Nobody draws their own name.
The draw runs in this browser.
Each tap is a new pseudorandom draw via crypto.getRandomValues. Not atmospheric noise. How the draw works
About this page
The Secret Santa generator pairs a list you type, in this browser, so each person gives one gift and receives one. Add the names one per line or separated by commas. Add a line for each couple, or any other pair, who must not draw each other. A budget or a short note is optional, and that same line is copied onto every private link. Tap Draw names. The pairing is chosen with crypto.getRandomValues. Nobody is assigned their own name, an excluded pair is not assigned, and if the exclusions leave no possible pairing the page says why instead of inventing one. Each person gets a link. The assignment is encoded in the fragment after the #, and the browser does not include that fragment when it requests the page. Opening the link shows a covered name until that person taps. There is no account and no email. The host view on the drawing screen stays closed until you open it, because it lists every pair. This is a gift exchange generator, not a secret santa name picker that calls on a single winner. The list is capped at 40 names.
What the link holds
A private link contains one giver, one recipient, and the optional note, written into the fragment after the #. That fragment is encoding, not a lock. Anyone who has the link can read the name. The cover on the page only keeps a glance from spoiling it. ChanceKit does not email the links, and there is no account that can look them up later. Copy them from this screen. A refresh of the drawing screen clears the list. A refresh of a person's own link still works, because the assignment is in the link they opened.
The browser does not send the fragment when it requests the page, so the server that delivers ChanceKit does not receive the names. Do not put the links in a group chat, a shared doc, or a screenshot of the host view. The host view is closed until you open it, and the warning above that control is there because opening it lists every pair on the screen.
When the draw is refused
Some lists have no valid pairing. One person cannot draw. Two people who are excluded from each other cannot draw, because they are each other's only possible recipient. Three people with one excluded couple cannot draw either: the only two pairings of three people each include one direction of every pair. Four is the smallest group that can keep one couple apart. If several people can only draw from a smaller set than their own number, the page names that stuck group instead of assigning someone their own name or a blocked person. Add a person those people are allowed to draw, or remove an exclusion, and draw again.
How to use it
- Add the names. Type one person per line, or separate the names with commas. Two people is the minimum. Use a last initial when two people share a first name. The page does not save the list, so copy the links before you refresh.
- Exclude couples. Put each pair on its own line, such as Alex, Sam. The exclusion runs both ways: Alex does not draw Sam, and Sam does not draw Alex. Leave the box empty when anyone may draw anyone else.
- Add a budget if you want one. The optional note is shown with every recipient. Agree the amount before you draw. A handmade rule belongs on that line too, so nobody has to hear it secondhand.
- Draw and send the links. Tap Draw names, then copy each person's link into a private message. Do not paste the whole set into the group chat. Each person opens their own link and taps to reveal one name.
Related
Questions
How do I exclude couples?
Put one pair on each line of the exclusion box. Alex, Sam and Alex and Sam and Alex & Sam all mean the same thing: Alex does not draw Sam, and Sam does not draw Alex. The block is mutual, because the usual request is that a couple must not draw each other, not that only one of them is blocked. Leave the box empty when anyone may draw anyone else. Names in an exclusion have to match the list, ignoring capital letters. A line with one name, or with three, is refused so a typo cannot silently drop a rule. With three people, one couple exclusion makes every pairing impossible, because each of the two possible draws has one of them picking the other. Four people is the smallest group that can keep a single couple apart. Two couples in a group of four can also be impossible if the exclusions leave no room, and the page will say so. This is a secret santa generator with exclusions: when the pairs you entered leave no complete pairing, you get an explanation instead of a list where someone drew themselves.
How are the names hidden?
They are not encrypted. After the draw, each person has a separate link, and that link's fragment holds only their own recipient plus the optional note. Opening it shows their name and a covered recipient until they tap. The tap is a cover for the screen, not a password. Anyone who has the link can read the assignment, including someone who forwards it. The fragment is not included in the request for the page, and ChanceKit's analytics are set up to omit it, so the names are not sent to the server as part of loading the tool. There is no email step and no account. The drawing screen can show every pair in the host view, which stays closed until you press the control under the warning. Do not open that view on a projector. Do not paste every link into one group message. The encoding is there so a link can be opened later without a server remembering the draw. It is not a lock.
What if someone loses their link?
The page cannot look it up. There is no account, and the drawing screen does not keep the links after a refresh. If you still have the copied list, send that person their line again. If you do not, run a new draw and tell the group to use the new links. Old links still open, and they still show the previous recipient, so say plainly that the new message replaces the old one. Drawing again does not delete a link that was already copied. It only builds a new pairing on this screen. Write the links down, or paste them into private messages, before you close the tab. A person who still has their old link can keep using it. That is why a replacement draw has to be announced, not assumed.
What should I write for a budget?
Agree the rule before anyone taps Draw names, then put it in the note so every link shows the same line. A dollar amount is enough for most groups: about $20, under $15, or a $10 cap. If handmade gifts are welcome, write that in the same line, for example handmade or about $15, so the rule is not a separate text someone misses. You can also name a theme, such as a book or something useful, as long as the line stays short. The note is copied onto every reveal. It is not a private clue, and it is a poor place to hint at who the giver is, because every recipient sees the same words. The page does not check prices, stores, or wish lists. It only repeats the sentence you typed. Leave the box empty when the group already settled the budget out loud and does not need it on the link.
What is the minimum number of people?
Two. They can only draw each other, so the result is a swap, which is a weak secret and still a valid derangement. One person is refused, because the only name left would be their own. Three people work when nobody is excluded: there are two ways to pair them, and each person gives one gift. Three people with a couple excluded do not work. You need a fourth person before that couple can be kept apart. There is no extra name added in the background to make the math come out. The cap is 40 names, so a long office list still finishes and can be checked for a real pairing. If you only need to call on one person, the name picker is the better tool. If you need groups rather than pairs, use random teams. This page assigns every person exactly once.
How is this different from a secret santa name picker?
A name picker, including the wheel, chooses one line from a list. You can remove the winner and spin again, which is a sequence of single picks, and it does not stop two spins from pointing at a couple or at the same person if you forget to remove them. This generator assigns the whole list in one step. Each person appears once as a giver and once as a recipient, nobody is paired with themselves, and exclusions are applied before you see a result. Random teams shuffle people into groups. They do not say who buys a gift for whom. If you want one winner from a custom list, spin the wheel. If you want a gift exchange, stay on this page. Neither tool stores an account, and neither one sends the names to a ChanceKit server as part of the draw.
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