New Year’s Eve Secret Santa
New Year’s Eve Secret Santa for the party
Decided after Christmas, opened before midnight: draw the names at short notice and turn the presents into part of the countdown.
- Still possible two days before the party, without meeting up
- Plan it in the party chat, send the links one by one
- Themes for the new year instead of Christmas
Short notice
The days after Christmas are still enough
A New Year’s Eve Secret Santa often starts on a whim: the party is planned, and on 27 December someone in the chat asks whether you could still do presents. Nobody has to meet for that. You create the group, add everyone’s name and run the draw the same evening.
To get the presents sorted in time, keep it small: a low budget, and the rule that something homemade or already at home counts. Then 30 December is enough for the shopping. When you create the group, choose New Year’s Eve as the occasion.
Last-minute plan
- suggest it in the party chat
- add the names the same day
- draw straight away
- bring the present to the party
Theme
A lucky charm instead of a Christmas present
A New Year’s Secret Santa feels different from the Christmas one when the theme fits the turn of the year. Themes that work: a lucky charm for the year ahead, something that helps with the other person’s resolution, or a small survival kit for 1 January.
Unwrapping fits nicely into the last hour before midnight, just when the party needs a break. At Hogmanay, a small first-footing gift such as shortbread fits the theme just as well.
Theme ideas
- a lucky charm for the new year
- help with a resolution
- a 1 January survival kit
- a memory of the old year
The draw
Draw in secret, even if you only meet on the night
Before a New Year’s party there is usually no get-together where slips could be drawn. So the draw happens beforehand, as with any Secret Santa online: each person gets a personal link in a message of their own and sees only who they are buying for.
Couples who should not draw each other go in as an exclusion first. How the secret draw works step by step is explained in how the draw works.
If the planning already happens in WhatsApp, follow Secret Santa on WhatsApp: rules to everyone, links one by one.
Before the party
- add every name
- save couple exclusions
- send links one by one
- bring the present wrapped
On the night
Unwrap with a guessing game
At a party, unwrapping works best in turns: one person at a time opens a present and guesses who it is from. You reveal the givers once everyone has guessed, or not at all, if you would rather take the secret into the new year.
If a guest cancels at short notice, the present can still be passed on later or at the next get-together. What matters is that nobody goes home empty-handed, so the hosts keep one small spare present ready.
Unwrapping rules
- unwrap one at a time
- let people guess the giver
- keep a spare present
- reveal only if you like
Next steps
Explore Wichtlify
Secret Santa online
The whole Secret Santa in the browser: group, rules, draw and personal links.
Prepare it online
Secret Santa on WhatsApp
When the party is planned in a group chat: rules to everyone, links one by one.
Share links in the chat
Secret Santa gift ideas
Ideas by budget and style, when the theme still needs filling.
Find gift ideas
White Elephant
The silly version for parties: odd presents, clear limits, secret draw.
Plan a White ElephantFAQ
Frequently asked questions
Is it enough to draw after Christmas?
Yes. The draw itself takes minutes. What matters is the time left for shopping, and with a small budget or something homemade, one or two days are enough.
How is it different from a Christmas Secret Santa?
The draw is the same. The theme and the setting differ: lucky charms and new-year ideas instead of a Christmas present, and unwrapping as part of the party instead of a gift-giving ceremony.
What if a guest cancels?
If they cancel before the party, take them out of the group: Wichtlify asks who steps into their place, and everyone else keeps the person they drew. That emergency repair is free. If someone simply doesn’t turn up on the night, their present is handed over at the next get-together.
Can people join if we only see them at the party?
Yes, as long as their names are on the list before the draw. They can open their personal link at the party too.
Start your New Year’s Secret Santa
Create the group, draw today and bring the presents to the party already wrapped.
Start the New Year’s Secret Santa