Secret Santa Name Generator- DrawNames.com

*This post is originally from back in 2013 and we STILL use this site every year!  Happy Holidays everyone!

It’s time to think about the holidays since there is officially two weeks until Christmas!

This year, my family is doing a new way of exchanging gifts.  While each year the best part of the holidays has been having more quality family time, gift giving has also been one of my favorite parts.  I love giving my loved ones gifts.  This year, we are focusing more on the family time and will be a bit more frugal by not getting gifts for every member but instead, drawing names and buying something for one person (children not included- so I’m happy I still get to spoil my nieces and nephew).  There will be a limit for how much we’re allowed to spend however I will still be filling stockings up with extra goodies.

Since we all live in our own separate homes, it would be hard to find time to do the draw of the names anonymously while still giving us time to go gift shopping.  Therefore, we had to find  another way to do it!  This is how my brother-in-law stumbled upon drawnames.com

By using this site, you invite all the members necessary, and it draws a name for you. You can add as many names as is necessary and it gives you the option to exclude certain outcomes.  For example, if you don’t want a married couple to have to get each other a gift, then you would put their names in the exclusion list and they will not be able to draw one another’s names. You are also able to make a wishlist so the person who gets you has an idea of what you want OR you can say you would rather be surprised.  If you are having trouble coming up with a possible gift idea, you can request for the person you need to shop for to give you ideas (still anonymously) and it links to Amazon (this is how they make money.)  It is a free service for you and it is very convenient.  Therefore, if you’re in the same position as me or have friends and relatives who live far away but still wish to do be a Secret Santa- this is the perfect way to do it!

Seasons Greetings to all of you & I hope you have a safe holiday!