Family Secret Santa with kids

1. Open the free Secret Santa draw on one phone at a family meal.
2. Type everyone taking part, kids included, then tap Shuffle.
3. Pass the phone around. Each person taps their name, checks nobody is looking, and opens their pick.
4. They hide it and pass the phone on. The draw never shows a pick twice.

Let them open their own pick. It is half the fun, and it keeps the secret. Show them the "Got it, hide my pick" button before they start, so they hide it themselves.

Pick one adult to help them, ideally one who is not their Secret Santa. The adult opens the pick with the child, reads it quietly into their ear, and hides it. That adult will know the pick, so they help with the shopping too.

• Keep one budget for everyone, so kids are not singled out.
• Or give kids a small, separate amount and let parents top it up.
• A homemade gift counts. Say so up front, so kids are proud of theirs.

Open gifts one at a time, youngest first, so everyone sees each gift. Before each giver is revealed, let the person opening guess who their Secret Santa was. Kids love guessing, and it stretches the fun.

If someone could not come, set their gift aside and send a photo, or open it on a video call later.

In a family that draws every year, the same pairs come up more often than you would think. With the free draw, the only fix is to redraw if someone gets the person they had last year. Pick Reveal, our app on its way to the App Store, remembers last year's pairs and avoids them for you.

The free draw works in any browser, on any phone. No email, no sign-ups, and the names stay in the tab.

• The free Secret Santa drawDraw names on one phone, in any browser.
• Secret Santa without emailOne room, one phone, nobody types an address.
• Keeping couples apartA fair way to redraw, by hand or with paper.
• Office Secret SantaBudget, date, opt-in, and a fair draw at work.