What's the minimum number of people for a Secret Santa?

Three participants. With only two people, each one automatically draws the other, so the outcome is obvious before anyone even opens a link.

Can a couple be kept from drawing each other?

Yes. The draw separates couples automatically and allows restrictions in both directions, so you can mark that two specific people should never draw each other.

If someone drops out after the draw, can it be fixed without redoing everything?

You can swap the participant for someone else, but redoing the whole draw changes everyone's match, not just the person who left.

Does it cost anything to take part in Secret Santa?

No. Taking part is never charged, on any plan. Building the list and running the draw also doesn't require an account; only a quick email is requested to save and generate the links.

Secret Santa Rules: The Complete Guide for Your Group

Every Secret Santa needs clear ground rules before the draw: a minimum of 3 participants, a price range everyone accepts, a delivery deadline, and rules about who can't draw whom (couples, for instance). Settling this before drawing names avoids awkwardness later.

How many people are needed

The minimum is 3 participants. With 2 people, each one automatically draws the other — no secret is possible. From 3 onward, the draw forms a single chain: nobody draws themselves, and nobody draws the exact person who drew them. There's no cap on participants: it works the same for a group of 4 friends or 40 cousins in a big family.

How to set a fair price range

Fix an exact value or a short range ("between $20 and $30"), never "whatever feels fair".
Announce the value before opening the draw, never after.
If the group has trouble agreeing on a number, check gift ideas by price range to calibrate everyone's expectations.

Rules about couples and other restrictions

Couples taking part in the same Secret Santa usually shouldn't draw each other. TeConvidei's draw already separates couples automatically and allows restrictions in both directions — you can mark that one person can't draw another, and vice versa, not just prevent the couple pairing from repeating.

Someone dropped out after the draw — now what?

Since the draw is a closed chain, removing one person from the middle breaks it. The realistic options are: redo the whole draw (this changes everyone's match, not just the person who left — warn the group first), bring in a substitute, or agree that whoever drew the person who left gives their gift to someone else in the group.

Delivery deadline

Set the exchange date together with the rest of the rules, not at the last minute. Since there are no automatic reminders for the draw — everything is manual, sent by the organizer — it's worth setting your own reminder a few days before the agreed date.

With the rules agreed, the draw itself is the easy part. TeConvidei's Secret Santa is always free, with no cap on participants, on any of the plans — including the free one. You build the list and run the draw without an account, and only an email is requested to save and generate the individual links. Get started at the Secret Santa page.