Secret Santa Questionnaire: 20 Questions That Get Useful Answers
A ready-to-copy Secret Santa questionnaire — sizes, favorites, a no-thank-you list — plus which questions actually help a stranger buy a good gift under budget.
·5 min read
A Secret Santa questionnaire exists to answer one question: how does a near-stranger buy you a good gift for twenty dollars? The best ones are short, specific, and honest about dislikes. Here is a set you can copy, and notes on which questions actually earn their place.
The questionnaire
Copy these, trim to taste, and have everyone answer before the draw:
- What's a small thing you always run out of?
- Coffee, tea, cocoa, or none of the above?
- Sweet or salty?
- A snack or candy you never buy yourself but love?
- What are you currently obsessed with?
- A show, game, or book series you're into right now?
- Do you have a team, fandom, or franchise?
- What's your desk or workspace missing?
- Favorite color to wear? Favorite color, period?
- Sock size, glove size, beanie: yes or no?
- Candle, lotion, or neither? Any scents you hate?
- Something under $10 that would genuinely delight you?
- A hobby you'd spend a gift card on?
- Any allergies or things you can't use?
- Anything you'd rather NOT receive? (Be honest.)
- Gag gift: love them or please no?
- Do you collect anything?
- Practical gift or fun gift?
- What did the best gift you ever got get right?
- If your gifter plays it safe, what's the safe pick for you?
Which questions matter most
The workhorses are the negative ones. "Anything you'd rather not receive" and "scents you hate" prevent the two classic misses — the fourth scented candle and the novelty item that goes straight to a drawer. The "never buy for yourself" question is the single best source of wins: it surfaces small luxuries inside any budget.
Skip long favorites lists. Ten answers about movies from someone you see daily won't change a $20 purchase; one answer about what they ran out of will.
Collecting answers without spoiling the draw
Collect answers publicly — a shared doc or the group chat works, since the questionnaire isn't secret; only the assignment is. Do the draw itself with the Secret Santa Generator: paste the group, add any can't-draw pairs (couples, roommates), and hand out printed no-peek slips with the budget and exchange date on them. Each person then just looks up their target's answers and shops.
Something out of date or wrong here? Device specs and interface details shift with every release. Tell me and I'll fix it.
Related reading
- How Does Secret Santa Work?Everyone draws one name, buys one gift, and stays anonymous until the reveal. The whole mechanic in five minutes: the draw, the budget, the rules people argue about, and how to run it.
- Secret Santa Rules: The Standard Set, Plus the Ones Worth AddingThe core rules every Secret Santa needs — one name each, a firm budget, anonymity until the reveal — and the optional rules that stop couples drawing each other and gifts swapping back.
- How to Draw Names OnlinePaste the names, draw them one at a time, and let everyone watch. How to draw names online for a gift exchange, a class, or an order-of-play — with repeats kept out.