Secret Santa

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Secret Santa is a Western Christmas or Saint Nicholas tradition in which members of a group are randomly assigned a person to whom they give a gift. The identity of the gift-giver remains a secret.

Geography

Deriving from the

All of these names derive from traditional gift-bringers: the American custom is named after

In this completely different game, participants (players) bring one gift each that is potentially suitable or interesting to any of the other participants. The gifts should be wrapped in such a way as to disguise their nature. Ideally, the provider of each gift is not disclosed. Players take turns and can either open a new gift or steal a previously opened gift. This game is more commonly known as the white elephant gift exchange, or Yankee Swap.^{[3][unreliable source?]}

Guessing

In this version, each participant brings a gift for their assigned person, along with a letter. This letter may or may not have hints on who the giver might be, depending on the rules participants have established. Each receiver must guess who made the gift.

Secret Casino Santa

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In this version, each person buys a gift for a specific amount, not for anyone specifically. Each person also puts a specific amount of money into a pot. Who goes first in gift selection can be determined by random selection. The options are:

• Option A: Choose a gift
• Option B: Do not choose a gift, and go for money.
• Option C: Put your name in to win all the unwanted gifts by those who went for option B.

At the end, the gifts that were chosen are opened, and the winner of the money and leftover gifts is drawn.

Conspiracy Santa

In this version, participants engage in a "conspiracy" in which all participants work together to select a gift for a single participant without that participant's direct involvement or knowledge. Conspiracies run concurrently, one for each participant. A common theme of Conspiracy Santa is collectively learning about participants, making it popular for workplaces and schools.^[4]

Secret Santa online

The tradition of Secret Santa is also practiced in online communities.

Several Secret Santa Generators tell every participant in a group for whom to buy a gift. This is especially useful for groups that can't meet in person.

References