Secret Santa Questionnaire
The form that saves every Secret Santa from a scented candle. Pick a question set — classic or coworkers — edit it to fit your group, and print one clean page per person with the budget and return date on every sheet. Or save it as a PDF and send it around.
Why the questionnaire is half the exchange
The draw decides who gives; the questionnaire decides how good the gift is. Without one, everyone buys for a stranger and the exchange produces four candles and a mug. With one, a $20 budget lands on the snack someone actually hoards and the gift card they’ll actually use — and the person doing the buying spends ten minutes instead of an anxious hour.
The one question no set should skip is the last one: allergies, scents, and things to avoid. It’s the difference between a thoughtful exchange and an apologetic one.
Three sets, because groups differ
- Classic is for family and friends — hobbies, sizes, the thing they’d never buy themselves.
- Coworkers is tuned to how office exchanges actually work: smaller, safer gifts. Desk snacks, coffee orders, gift cards — and no clothing sizes, which nobody wants to hand to a colleague.
Every set is a starting point. The questions are just lines of text — add an inside joke, cut what doesn’t fit, and the sheet reflows.
Running the whole exchange here
The questionnaire pairs with the Secret Santa Generator, which runs the draw itself — it keeps couples from drawing each other and prints folded no-peek slips. Hand out the questionnaires when you announce the exchange, run the draw once they’re back, and give each Santa their slip and their person’s answers together.
Questions
How does it work?
Pick a question set, edit the questions to fit your group — one per line — and print. Each copy is one clean US Letter page with the event name at the top, your budget and return-by date, and a ruled answer line under every question. Hand one to each person.
Can I get it as a PDF?
Yes — choose "Save as PDF" in the print dialog instead of a printer. That gives you a PDF to email around or drop in the group chat, which is how remote exchanges usually run it.
What should a Secret Santa questionnaire ask?
Enough to buy a good small gift, and nothing that makes it a chore: favorite color, snacks, a drink order, hobbies, a store they love, something they'd never buy themselves, and — always — allergies or things to avoid. The coworkers set trades sizes for desk snacks and gift cards, which is where office exchanges actually live.
Is there a version for coworkers?
Yes — the Coworkers question set. Office exchanges run on smaller, safer gifts, so it asks about desk snacks, coffee orders, and gift cards, and it skips clothing sizes entirely.
Does what I type get sent anywhere?
No. The tool runs entirely in your browser and there is no server behind it. Your questions and event details are saved on your own device so they're there next year, and clearing site data removes them.
What would make this tool better? A device that's missing, a detail that looks wrong, an option you went looking for and didn't find — all of it is useful. Send a note.
More in Name Tags & Badges
See the collectionRelated reading
- Secret Santa Questionnaire: 20 Questions That Get Useful AnswersA 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.
- 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.