What is Secret Santa?
Secret Santa emerges every Christmas in group situations to create a spirit of fun, laughter, and friendship. It involves a dynamic where the participants are willing to accept a random selection pointing to “another person in the group” for whom they must buy a gift without identifying themselves as the gift-giver (hereon referred to as “giver” or “gifter.”) So, each ‘giver’ becomes a Secret Santa to someone in the group (a “recipient,” “receiver,” or “giftee”) without the latter knowing the giver’s identity. Remember, every Secret Santa also receives a gift from another playing Secret Santa, meaning every participant fulfills two roles simultaneously.
The entire exercise is a mystery wrapped in an enigma driven by a fantasy character to unravel a secret. The hope is that the appointed Santas buying the gifts create excitement and leave enough clues for the giftees to guess who they are.
So, the process pins its hopes on presenting all the participants with the same Secret Santa questions, resulting in thoughtful gifts that make the receiver feel recognized and appreciated. The injection of holiday cheer as gifts change hands alongside matching the Secret Santa/recipient pairs with clues, laughter, and group inclusion creates cohesion and connection when done right.
If Secret Santa goes wrong…
Secret Santa occasions don’t take place in a vacuum. I’ve chosen the workplace as the platform, although it could apply to family, close friends, a league sports team, book clubs, and more. The important thing to appreciate is the emotional temperature going in and visualizing what you expect to emerge when it ends.
Imagine a situation when a participating team in the Secret Santa project leaves clues of internal jealousies, distrust, and non-cooperation that have been disrupting projects for some time. Conflicting forces are likely not far below the surface, ready to erupt if or when perceptions don’t agree during a Secret Santa event.
For example, suppose the receivers view their gifts as undervalued, disconnected from their needs, a slight, or even insulting to their intelligence or status. In that case, things can go wrong. Indeed, the team may emerge more dysfunctional than when its members entered the event. Even worse, poor preparation and thought behind a Secret Santa project can disrupt an otherwise cohesive group of teammates.
So, the bottom line is this: Approaching Secret Santa too casually (as just another party or an excuse to get tipsy) can result in an undesirable employee experience on a sizable scale. Introduce it as you would any employee engagement initiative – step-by-step, with transparency, and keeping morale high throughout.
Secret Santa’s team-builder benefits
When Secret Santa events (in-office or online) progress according to plan, substantial benefits emerge, which include:
- Growing closer to one’s coworkers — By answering the Secret Santa questions and everyone paying attention to their content as a Secret Santa, employees learn more about likes, preferences, aspirations, and feelings, thus enhancing personal connections. The net result is better workplace relations, improved employee belonging, and uplifted work performance
- Tighter social bonds — A respected study revealed friendship is a natural goodwill activator that, in turn, creates more positive team dynamics, especially when the gifts match the recipients’ interests and values.
- Welcoming new employees as a compelling onboarding tactic. How? Co-mingling new employees with those who have worked with you for many years in a Secret Santa gift exchange melts the ice for positively adjusting teams faster than anyone can imagine.
- Increased retention — Where 85% of employees favor Christmas parties (including Secret Santa events) as effective routes to robust team-building and better motivation.
Set the tone for Secret Santa success
The crux of such a program is ensuring everyone involved is a willing partner. A survey promoting the theme and inviting team participation with a welcoming message is a good start without putting unnecessary pressure on anyone to join.
It takes imagination and visualization to organize your Secret Santa gift exchange by following these steps:
- Communicate a date and time for the exchange.
- The budget for gifts must be realistic but enough to deliver excitement and value.
- Decide if the company will subsidize the item in (2) above.
- Structure your free Secret Santa questionnaire to open the minds and feelings of the participants to gift possibilities.
- Decide who will be the Secret Santa control person, with their first task being a random selection of pairings (i.e., giftees and Secret Santas) by draw or acceptable online poll balloting system.
- Arrange for the participants to answer their questionnaires, ensuring the allocated Secret Santa gets their recipient’s responses rather than someone else’s (you would be surprised how often and easily mismanagement of this phase triggers confusion and disastrous consequences).
- Armed with the budget and relevant questionnaires, the Secret Santas buy their gifts for presentation at the event (with drinks, food, and themes added to the occasion).
- From there, the guessing game begins; the best thing to do is let it freewheel. Two vital notes:
- Access dedicated Secret Santa websites or apps to manage the name drawing and share details with the group if the event is online.
- In almost all Secret Santa events, the controller reveals all recipient/Secret Santa pairings at the end of the gift exchange and guessing game.
The Secret Santa questionnaire that works for you
Your free Secret Santa questionnaire is a vital part of the project. It creates awareness for Secret Santas to buy and deliver gifts to the allocated recipients with information at their fingertips and without hiccups. It’s fundamental to a smooth process from touchpoint to touchpoint.
How can I make my Secret Santa questionnaire more fun and engaging?
Themed questionnaires (like “Election Year Christmas”) with creative formatting (using emojis, GIFs, or a festive design)—containing quirky Secret Santa questions that allow respondents to share personal anecdotes—create group enthusiasm. Here are some tips:
- Go beyond the usual by asking about unique hobbies, secret pleasures, fondest memories, bucket list destinations, or even hidden talents.
- Pose “Would you rather” questions, such as “Would you rather spend the night in a Las Vegas Casino or at home on a snowy night, fireside, egg-nog in hand, reading a can’t-put-down novel?”
- Prompt participants to share funny life incidents as clues to their preferences and passions, such as “Do you recall a surprise party gift that excited you for days every time you thought of it? If so, tell us about it.”
- Best of category selections like “Who is your favorite holiday artist of all time?” or “What’s the funniest Santa movie you’ve ever seen?”
- Include “Do you have a…” or “If you could…” questions, such as “Do you have a favorite event you never miss, no matter what, in the holiday season?” and “If you could donate whatever you wanted to whomever you wanted, what and who would they be?”
What are the seventy best Secret Santa questions to ask?
Aligning with the content and tips above, your Secret Santa questions must provide the selected Secret Santas with insights into recipients’ emotions and motivations. A bird’s eye view should paint a picture of the gifts that integratively:
- Fill lifestyle gaps.
- Occupy “most valued” positions in minds and emotions.
- Appeal to recipients’ tastes (implicitly or explicitly expressed).
- Meet budgetary limits (i.e., there’s no point in throwing light on unaffordable wants).
Here are my recommendations:
- Do you lean more toward the minimalist school of fashion, or are you more traditionalist?
- Would you rather receive a thoughtful homemade gift or a store-bought item?
- Are you a “tech consumer” or more old-school?
- Which do you prefer: Sentimental or humorous gifts?
- Is there something you already own but can never have enough of?
- What are your newest hobbies, and what have they replaced?
- Do you still read a lot? If so, fiction or non-fiction.
- Who’s your favorite author?
- With all the world’s events in mind, which gives you the most glowing feeling?
- Which one frustrates you the most?
- Who or what do you quote at least three times monthly?
- What’s your lifestyle mantra?
- Finish this sentence. Different wall colors in every room are…
- What part of your body are you most proud of?
- What do you do to pull yourself out of your saddest moments?
- What destination you haven’t been to intrigues you the most?
- What destination have you been to, and would you like to return to?
- Do people see you, on the whole, as controversial or agreeable?
- What’s your most contentious standpoint?
- How do you see other people see you?
- Which celebrity do you think you look like most?
- What’s the first thing you’d buy if you won a million dollars tomorrow?
- Who is your modern-day hero?
- Who is your all-time hero?
- When you join friends for happy hour, what’s your preferred drink?
- What’s your view on “gluten-free?”
- What’s your view on countering obesity?
- What are your favorite baked pastries?
- When you go to a five-star restaurant, what dish do you usually order?
- What’s your favorite fast-food chain?
- How important is the kitchen to your lifestyle?
- Do you own a microwave oven?
- Do you or your spouse cook with an air fryer?
- If not, would you like to?
- If you have $100 to spend freely, which store or online retailer do you visit first?
- Which departments attract your interest in order of importance?
- After spending that $100, you get a second credit card gift card to send on sports items. What do you buy?
- What do you think of the new pickleball craze?
- Have you ever been bowling? If not, would you like to?
- When you buy sneakers, must they be brand-identifiable?
- Do you value flower arrangements as gifts? If so, what variety excites you?
- What delicacies do you go to first when you receive a food hamper gift?
- Which hamper items go to waste?
- What home decor items are you missing?
- Which fan sport do you prefer – Tennis, NFL, NBA, or NHL?
- If you had the choice to go to a Rafa Nadal tennis final or a Taylor Swift concert, which would you choose?
- What’s your view on wearing colognes?
- Are any foods allergic to your system?
- How would you describe your lifestyle based on the following? Vibrant Laidback Volatile Sedentary
- How would you describe your lifestyle based on the following? Single Family no kids Family with kids Divorced Other (explain)
- How would you describe your lifestyle based on the following? Work-centric Leisure-centric Balanced Other (explain)
- Do you have all the electronics you need at your fingertips?
- What latest-tech market item do you want most?
- Which tech item would you never buy again, and why?
- What’s your vacation preference based on the following choices? Sun & Sea, Sightseeing, Skiing, Game Parks, Cruising, Hiking
- What’s your vacation preference based on the following choices? Domestic locations or Traveling abroad
- What’s your favorite hospitality accommodation – Airbnb or hotel?
- How do you like to get to your destination? Auto, Air, Train, Ship
- Do you love to entertain friends at home?
- If so, do you prefer formal settings or a BBQ?
- What foods do you like to stock in your fridge or pantry?
- What foods do you consider a luxury?
- What foods do you consider a staple?
- What item most people consider a luxury do you feel is a necessity?
- What item most people consider essential do you think is a luxury?
- What’s your perfect gift when money is no object?
- What’s your ideal gift if you know the gifter is tight on budget?
- Which suburb or which city would you most want to live in?
- Would you rather live in a single-family residence or a condo?
- Do you prefer an open neighborhood or protected by an HOA and security?
Conclusion
Sogolytics is at the forefront of holiday events designed to encourage employee engagement. Our team’s approach is scientific, drawing from a broad resource pool and structuring your questionnaire with Secret Santa questions to align with the demographics defining your company’s workforce and cultural definition. Ask us about other addendum activities, such as enhancing themes with team-building board games, Christmas cake decorating contests, in-office scavenger hunts, and more.
These scenarios can be incredibly motivating to all participants, lasting far beyond the event itself. So contact us for a direct discussion or to learn how to leverage the festive season to your advantage.
