Ideas for Organizing a Secret Santa

• Organizing a Secret Santa doesn't have to be stressful. Oppenheim Bernhard/Digital Vision/Getty Images

  Secret Santa is an inexpensive and easy way for you to celebrate the holiday season without feeling stressed about finding the perfect gift. In the traditional Secret Santa, members of a group--such as coworkers, family members and friends--exchange names anonymously and purchase gifts for one member rather than everyone in the group. You can make it as creative as you want so it doesn't become another hassle during a busy time of the year. If you don't know where to start, keep reading to learn how to organize a Secret Santa that will please your friends without stressing you out.

Setup

• Compile guests' names for the Secret Santa on slips of paper, and place the slips into a container. Have each guest choose one name from the container. Set a price limit for the gifts, such as $10 to $20. Remind guests to wrap their gifts and write the recipients' names on the gifts. However, the giver cannot write her name on the gift--remember, it's a secret!

Day of Gift Giving

• When guests arrive for the exchange, ask them to place their gifts on a designated gift table and pick a number from a container. When it is time to open the gifts, have each guest find his gift on the table in numerical order. When a guest opens the gift, have him guess who his Secret Santa is. Depending on the size of your group, allow each guest two to three guesses to keep the game moving.

Special Touches

• To make the Secret Santa unlike the traditional version, set aside small prizes for anyone who can guess her Secret Santa on the first try. The prizes can be as simple as cookies or candies in festive packages. Or, choose a theme for the gifts to be exchanged. Remember your price range when selecting a theme--you don't want guests to feel like the gift is a burden. Also, don't pick something so obscure that your guests all purchase the same thing. You can give a few examples of gift ideas for your theme to help out anyone who doesn't know where to start.