St Nicholas’ Day
St Nicholas’ Day Secret Santa on 6 December
Half the family in the Netherlands, half in England, and St Nicholas still comes on 5 December? Draw the names online in mid-November: everyone gets their own link and sees only whose shoe they’re filling.
- Drawn across two countries, without meeting first
- Small budget, early date
- Free, and nobody else needs an account
Cambridge and Utrecht
Marieke keeps Sinterklaas going from 300 miles away
Marieke grew up in Utrecht and has lived in Cambridge with her husband Jamie for twelve years. Her parents, Kees and Ans, are still in Utrecht, her brother Ruud lives in Rotterdam with Sanne, and on the evening of 5 December they all meet on a video call to unwrap. The six adults each buy one present, €10 at most, because most of them shop in the Netherlands.
On Sunday 15 November, the weekend St Nicholas arrives in the Netherlands, Marieke creates the group with the six first names, the budget and 5 December as the date. She adds the three couples as exclusions both ways and sends each link in a private message. The wish lists fill up over the week, and on 20 November she runs the draw. Ruud opens his link and sees Jamie, with “anything about cricket, I still don’t get it” underneath.
The Vissers’ St Nicholas
- 6 adults in 2 countries
- €10 a present
- post by 27 November
- unwrapped on 5 December
Why online
Nobody has to be in the same room, and Marieke is surprised too
In Utrecht the names used to go into a hat at Kees and Ans’s kitchen table. With half the family in England that no longer works, and drawing for everyone on the phone would mean one person knows every pair. Here there is no list of pairs, not even for Marieke, so she buys for someone too and finds out on the call who bought for her.
Kees and Ans open their links on the laptop; neither needs an app or an account. Marieke and Jamie’s children still believe in St Nicholas, so they stay out of the draw and find their shoes filled on the morning of the 6th, as always.
Next year Marieke repeats the group, and the draw avoids this year’s pairs. If the family also does presents at Christmas, that’s a second group with its own budget, set up like any Secret Santa online.
Which evening
Enter the day your family celebrates
St Nicholas’ Day is 6 December, a Sunday in 2026. Dutch families celebrate on the evening of the 5th, pakjesavond; Belgian, German and Austrian families on the morning of the 6th. Whichever day you enter in the group, it appears in every link, together with the budget.
Draw about three weeks before, so there is time to post a present abroad. A shoe usually holds small things: nuts, tangerines, a chocolate letter or a chocolate St Nicholas, and one small present, £5 to £10, or €5 to €10.
Timeline for 2026
- 15 November: the group and the wish lists
- 20 November: the draw
- 27 November: last day to post abroad
- 5 or 6 December: presents
Ready to copy
The message for the family chat
Send this before the links, so nobody wonders what the link is for. Fill in the brackets, and add a line in Dutch for anyone who prefers it.
Message for the family chat
Hi all, Shall we draw Sinterklaas names again this year, all six of us? Each of us fills one shoe for one person, up to [€10]. I’ll send you each your own link today. Add your wishes by [20 November], and then I’ll draw the names. Post your present by [27 November], and we’ll unwrap them on the call on [5 December]. Liefs, [Marieke]
Here’s what your group looks like
Everyone picks a picture and adds their wishes, so you can see at a glance who’s already in.
The Visser Family
Marieke
Jamie
Ruud
Sanne
Ans
Kees
Next steps
Explore Wichtlify
Family Secret Santa
When the whole family meets for Christmas Day and the children join in.
Plan the family Secret Santa
Secret Santa with kids
When the children are old enough to draw a name themselves.
Plan with childrenSecret Santa online
The Christmas draw for a family that won’t meet before the day.
Prepare it onlineFAQ
Frequently asked questions
Can someone without a smartphone take part?
Yes. The link opens on any computer or tablet. In a Pro group you can also print a folded card for that person, with the name they drew, the budget, the date and a QR code to their wish list; whoever prints it can see the name inside.
Set it up before St Nicholas arrives
Create the group and send the links now. Everyone adds their wishes, and you draw in time for the post.
Start the St Nicholas Secret Santa