Need some help- organizing a work secret santa

[Miss Shelby]

Is there a way to participate and organize a secret santa. About 70 is people.

thanks friendsl

[SR71]

Don't you heard shocking facts about Secret Santa?

[Crumb]

Has Miss Shelby been hacked by spammerz?

[JoeP]

So Best Secret Santa Ideas is offering best ideas for very less cost, but I wonder if their returns policy is 365 days? Does anyone knows?

[JoeP]

What's wrong with the traditional method: someone (who can't participate) randomly assignees gifters to giftees, and emails each person with their giftee. Set a limit like $10. At the party, everyone is offended and everyone drinks too much.

[Miss Shelby]

Originally Posted by SR71

Don't you heard shocking facts about Secret Santa?

No. Do tell.

[Miss Shelby]

Originally Posted by JoeP

What's wrong with the traditional method: someone (who can't participate) randomly assignees gifters to giftees, and emails each person with their giftee. Set a limit like $10. At the party, everyone is offended and everyone drinks too much.

because I was voluntold to do it, thinking it wouldn't be a big thang. Then found out I couldn't participate and I WANT MY TACO BELL GIFT CARDS!

[Miss Shelby]

Originally Posted by Crumb

Has Miss Shelby been hacked by spammerz?

HAW HAW

[Crumb]

It seems like there should be an online tool, or app for that. That could randomly match people up and notify them secretly so that all can participate. If it doesn't already exist then it should only be a small matter of programming.

[slimshady2357]

Is it fairly easy to access these 70 people?

We had about 30 people in our office secret santa and we would just put all 30 names in a hat and get each person to draw out a name. If the person draws out their own name, they put it back and draw again*.

You can participate yourself with this method.

*This is open to a little abuse as the person drawing can just say they got their own name and chuck it back in when they get a name they don't want. But it's not really a big problem.

EDIT: Also if you do this method, print 2 lists of everyone's names, one to cut up and put in the hat and one to check off as you get them to draw a name.

[JoeP]

A small matter of programming, plus the small matter of complying with state, federal and organisational legislation regarding storing of Personally Identifying Information (namely, the email addresses). Dog help if you any of the above have any links to the European Union and you have the to comply with GDPR.

[JoeP]

How about ...

Secret Santa Online gift exchange organizer & generator!

Thanks to a special Secret Santa generator you won’t have to deal with all the pre-organizing yourself. You just fill in the blanks and the Secret Santa generator does all the work!

DrawNames.com ~ Gift Exchange | Secret Santa Generator

DrawNames is the simplest Secret Santa Generator online. It’s fast, fun and free!

Secret Santa Generator | Easy, Fast & Free | Chat Support | Elfster

Secret Santa Generator & gift exchange

Each one of these is clearly the best, better than all the rest, and will also make tea.

[Crumb]

Will one of those buy all the gifts, too?

[lisarea]

Tip: Be very clear as to whether this is Jokey Secret Santa or Serious Secret Santa. You don't want people bringing in something nice and getting a used toilet paper cozy or something.

My favorite type is white elephants where you compete to give the ugliest thing, usually something you have around the house already. I acknowledge that this is probably because I like ugly things.

[ShottleBop]

Mrs.S's family migrated from names in a hat to Elfster when we passed 40 participants. Works well.

[Crumb]

I think your secret santa idea might be mathematically flawed.

The Problems with Secret Santa - Numberphile -...

[JoeP]

Your FACE might be mathematically flawed.

8 minutes of video to discard the pick-numbers-from-a-hat approach? And she didn't even mention the additional moral hazard of seeing someone difficult to buy for on the card you pick and saying it's yours and putting it back.

When it's obvious that all you need is any random shuffle of the names, and then each person buys for the next person on the list. 1** internet point however for sharing a pen and paper method of doing exactly that! With a * because it needs scissors too and what is this a school project. And another * because this won't even scale up to 30 names let alone 70.

[JoeP]

In our company the HR manager has assigned the names, for delivery at the staff christmas party. No one is under any misapprehension that the assignment is completely random.

What remains open to question is whether I will need to get the HR manager home in a taxi again this year, with her not able or willing to state her address.

[ceptimus]

Originally Posted by JoeP

Your FACE might be mathematically flawed.

8 minutes of video to discard the pick-numbers-from-a-hat approach? And she didn't even mention the additional moral hazard of seeing someone difficult to buy for on the card you pick and saying it's yours and putting it back.

When it's obvious that all you need is any random shuffle of the names, and then each person buys for the next person on the list. 1** internet point however for sharing a pen and paper method of doing exactly that! With a * because it needs scissors too and what is this a school project. And another * because this won't even scale up to 30 names let alone 70.

The random shuffle / list method doesn't work as everyone knows everyone's secret santa.

Secret santa with three people doesn't work however you do it if you want the gifters to remain secret: whatever method you use everyone will have full knowledge of who is buying for whom. Say you are A and you choose name B. You know that B can't then be your secret santa as that would leave C having to give a gift to herself - so you know your santa has to be C and therefore you also know that B is buying for C.

Best simple method for four or more people is to draw from a hat and if you happen to draw your own name, then lucky you! You can buy yourself no present at all or a wonderful present that you've always wanted: either way you are a secret santa winner! If you want to have a group present opening event and don't want to run the risk of there being few/no presents to open, then you just add the rule that if you do draw your own name, then you still have to wrap up something as a present to yourself. This simple variation even works for three people!

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by ceptimus

The random shuffle / list method doesn't work as everyone knows everyone's secret santa.

How so? Each person only gets given one name.

[ceptimus]

I thought you were going to pin the shuffled list of names on the notice board. If the list is kept secret and each Santa is only given their giftee's name, then I agree it works for a group of more than three people. It has the disadvantages of 1. everyone (if they know the method being employed) being sure that their giftee cannot also be their Santa, and 2. requiring an organizer (or program) that knows all.

[SR71]

Originally Posted by Miss Shelby

No. Do tell.

All their customers are happy with their service.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by ceptimus

It has the disadvantages of 1. everyone (if they know the method being employed) being sure that their giftee cannot also be their Santa

OK, that's an unintended (if very small) information leak. (Actually a 100% information leak if N=3.)

So ... can we find an algorithm for assigning gifters and giftees which doesn't require retries (eg randomly pick, and retry the whole thing if anyone gets their own name), but which gives no information to any participant ie they only know their giftee and there is an equal probability of anyone being their gifter?

[ceptimus]

N = 3 necessarily has 100% information known by all participants, regardless of the method. Only escape from that is to allow the possibility that you can be your own Santa: then if you are your own Santa, you don't know if the other two people are giving to each other or are also their own Santas.

I still think allowing the possibility of being your own Santa is the best solution for any N > 2. The simplest method of each person picking their giftee's name from a hat can then be employed.

[JoeP]

Originally Posted by ceptimus

I still think allowing the possibility of being your own Santa is the best solution for any N > 2.

But ... then those people aren't secret Santas! They know who is giving the gift - themselves!