What to ask on a Secret Santa questionnaire
The best Secret Santa questions are about favorites and everyday habits: a color, a snack, a coffee order, a hobby, a store someone loves. Add one line for things they don't want and one for something they'd never buy for themselves. That's enough for a good gift, and nobody has to share anything personal.
Besides a line for your name, this form has 12 questions. It leaves out clothing sizes on purpose, which keeps it comfortable for coworkers and new groups.
Favorites
Favorite color, snack or treat, scent, and a book, movie or show. These are the easiest clues to shop from.
Everyday life
Hobbies, a coffee or tea order and anything they collect. Good for small gifts that still feel picked just for them.
Gift ideas
A store or website they love, something they need and something they'd love but never buy themselves.
No-gos and notes
“Please, no…” is for things they can't use or already have plenty of, like candles or mugs. The last line is for anything else their Santa should know.
How to use it with your Secret Santa draw
Collect the questionnaires before you draw names. After the draw, each Secret Santa gets the form for the person they drew.
- 1Send everyone the link to this page, or print blank forms and hand them out. People can type their answers, then print the form or save it as a PDF.
- 2Set a deadline a few days before the draw, and collect every form.
- 3Draw names with our Secret Santa generator. It draws the names and gives you a private link for each person to send, which shows only their own match.
- 4Pass each questionnaire to that person's Secret Santa. If you're organizing but not taking part, you can see the full list of matches and hand out the forms yourself.
- 5If you're in the exchange too, keep the secret another way: put every form in a shared folder or a binder, and let each Santa look up the person they drew.
The generator also takes a budget, an exchange date and a short note, so the rules and the questionnaire can go out together.
Tips for answers that actually help
- Ask for specifics. “Dark chocolate with sea salt” helps more than “chocolate.”
- Give two or three ideas on a line when you can, so your Santa has choices at any budget.
- Fill in “Please, no…” honestly. It saves someone from buying a gift you can't use.
- Share the budget along with the form, so the answers fit what people will spend.
- Print 2 forms per page to save paper, or 1 per page if people like to write big.
- Use colored paper or cardstock if the forms will be pinned to a board or kept in a binder.
For offices, families and classrooms
At work, a questionnaire takes the guessing out of buying for a coworker you mostly know from meetings. Every question is easy to answer at the office, and nothing asks for sizes or personal details.
Families can use it as a wish list template, which helps when a cousin is buying for an aunt they see once a year. In a classroom, students can fill in the form during class while the teacher collects them and handles the draw. Keep the budget small and the same for everyone.
Other ways to use the questionnaire
Guess whose form it is
At the party, read a few answers out loud without the name and let everyone guess who wrote them. It works well with coworkers who are still getting to know each other.
Family wish lists
Skip the draw and have everyone fill in a form. Keep the forms in one place so anyone shopping for the family can check them.
Reveal with a clue
When gifts are opened, the receiver reads one line from their own form out loud and explains how the gift matches it.
New team icebreaker
Use the answers as conversation starters for a team or class that just came together.
Planning the rest of the party? Our White Elephant tracker keeps count of the steals, and the office holiday party games and Christmas games all play on one phone. For more swap ideas, read our post on gift exchange games.
Questions
What should I put on a Secret Santa questionnaire?
Favorites and everyday things: a color, a snack, a scent, a coffee or tea order, hobbies and a store you love. Add something you need, something you'd never buy yourself and a short list of things you don't want.
Can I fill in the questionnaire online?
Yes. Type your answers on this page, then press Print, or choose Save as PDF in the print dialog to send it by email or chat. You can also print it blank and fill it in by hand.
Why doesn't it ask for clothing sizes?
Sizes feel personal to a lot of people, especially at work, and clothes are hard to get right for someone you don't know well. These questions point to gifts that suit anyone.
When should everyone fill it in?
Before the draw. Collect all the forms, draw names with the Secret Santa generator, then give each Secret Santa the form for the person they drew.
How do I hand out the forms without spoiling the secret?
If the organizer isn't taking part, they can see who drew whom and hand out the forms. Otherwise, put every form in a shared folder or binder and let each Santa find the person they drew.
Is the questionnaire free?
Yes. It's free with no sign-up, and it works from a phone or a computer. Nothing downloads except the PDF you choose to save.