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Secret Santa questionnaire: what to ask, and how to send it

A good Secret Santa questionnaire is short, easy to answer on a phone and doesn't give away who's buying. Here's what to put in it.

Why ask at all

In a Secret Santa you often draw someone you barely know: a colleague from another team, a cousin's new partner. The budget is small, so there's no room for a big, safe gift. A few honest answers are what stand between you and the usual mug-and-candle fallback.

The questions worth asking

Keep it to four to six questions. These work because they're quick to answer and reveal taste without asking for a shopping list:

  1. Experiences or things?
  2. Practical or fun?
  3. What have you been really into lately?
  4. Something you always run out of?
  5. What do you have too much of?
  6. Scents you like?
  7. How do you start your morning?

If you add one open question, make it "Anything you definitely don't want?". It prevents more bad gifts than any other.

What to leave out

  • Clothing sizes, unless your group agreed on clothes.
  • "What do you want?" It turns the gift into an order, and the surprise is gone.
  • Long forms. After six questions people start answering "anything is fine".
  • Anything about money beyond the agreed budget.

Paper form, group chat or a private link?

Printable questionnaires work in an office where one organiser collects them, but then the organiser sees everyone's answers. Asking in the group chat is quick, but everyone can see who's asking whom. A private link that each person answers on their own phone keeps both the answers and the giver hidden.

How to send it with TinyHint

  • Add three to six gift ideas within your budget: your own, or picks from the suggestions.
  • Choose a few of the questions above.
  • Turn on "Stay anonymous", so they don't know who drew them.
  • Send the link in your work chat or any messenger. They react to each idea in about a minute, and you see their favourites first.

"Keep it a surprise" mixes your ideas in with others, so they can't tell which one you'll buy. It also hides questions that reveal a gift is coming, like "Anything you definitely don't want?". In a Secret Santa everyone knows a gift is coming, so you can turn it off if you want those questions.

Each giver sends their own link to the one person they drew. It's free, nobody signs up, and the link closes after 14 days.