How to run a Secret Santa draw with the wheel
The classic way to run Secret Santa is to write everyone's name on folded paper and pull them out of a hat. That works when the whole group is in one room, but it falls apart when half your team works remotely or your family is spread across three time zones. The Secret Santa wheel does the same job on any screen, and everyone can watch it happen.
Start by choosing the Participant Names list and replacing the sample names with your own. Add a name with the input box, tap any entry to rename it, and use the X to delete anyone who dropped out. Leave "Remove winner after spin" switched on: each drawn name disappears from the wheel a second after it wins, so nobody is drawn twice and the last spin leaves the wheel empty. Spin once per participant, note the result each time, and you have a full draw in under a minute.
If you are running the draw on a call, share your screen and let the group watch each spin. If you are organising by message, tap Share to copy a link that opens the wheel with your exact list already loaded, then send it to the group so everybody can spin for themselves.
Setting a gift budget everyone is happy with
The most common source of awkwardness in a gift exchange is an unclear spending limit. One person brings a $10 candle, another brings a $60 gadget, and both feel uncomfortable. Agreeing a number in advance solves it. Switch the wheel to the Gift Budget Tiers list if the group cannot settle on a figure, and let the spin decide between Under $15, Under $25 and the rest.
For office exchanges, $20 to $25 is the usual sweet spot: high enough to buy something real, low enough that nobody feels pressured. For families with children, a lower number plus a homemade option keeps it fair across very different budgets. Whatever you land on, say it out loud at the start and repeat it in writing, because half the group will forget by the time they go shopping.
Gift themes and White Elephant variations
A theme makes shopping easier and the unwrapping funnier. Instead of hunting for the perfect present, everyone works to the same brief: something edible, the weirdest mug, a desk upgrade, something that plugs in. Switch to the Funny Gift Categories or Office Gift Themes list and spin to assign a theme to the whole group, or spin once per person to give everyone a different brief.
White Elephant works differently: gifts go in a pile and people take turns choosing or stealing. The wheel handles the two parts that always cause arguments. Use the Participant Names list to set the opening order, then switch to the White Elephant Rules list and spin at the start of each round to decide whether steals are allowed, whether the order reverses, or whether everyone shifts their gift one seat to the left.
Tips for a gift exchange people actually enjoy
Set the deadline before the theme. People need to know when gifts are due more than they need to know what to buy. Give at least two weeks between the draw and the exchange.
Collect a wish hint from everyone. One sentence each — a favourite snack, a hobby, a colour they hate — turns a guessed gift into a good one without spoiling the surprise.
Plan for dropouts. Someone always leaves the team or misses the party. Keep your list in the wheel so you can delete a name and re-spin the affected pairing rather than redoing the whole draw.
Make the reveal the event. Whether it's a lunch, a video call or a living room, open gifts together. The draw is the setup; the reveal is the part people remember.