Join Secret Santa and find your match

Open your invitation and use a free GiftList account to join and view your assigned recipient. You can see whom you drew after the organizer draws names. A shared wishlist can be shopped without an account, but a Secret Santa match requires sign-in.

Join the right place in the exchange

1. Open the invitation from your organizer. Check the exchange name and date.
2. Sign in to your GiftList account when asked. If the invitation was sent to a specific email, use that account or your personal invitation link.
3. If you see a list of invited names, select your own name. Check Joining as before confirming. Do not claim another person's place or forward their personal link.
4. Choose the join action shown, such as Join Exchange or Join to see your match. If you already joined, the link may take you straight into the exchange.
5. Confirm that the exchange opens. If names have not been drawn, wait for the organizer; repeatedly joining will not reveal a match early.

View your recipient and help your own giver

After the draw, open the exchange and the Your Secret Santa match card or choose View your match. Your recipient is the person you are buying for. This is different from revealing who drew you, which becomes available from the exchange date at midnight Pacific Time. Read your recipient's wishlist or gift hints. Use the shared-list buying steps when shopping, including marking your purchase on the list.

For your own gift preferences, choose a wishlist or Mystery Q&A in the exchange's gift setup. These are alternative ways to give your Santa useful hints. If Santa Mail is available, use it for questions after the draw; the organizer may disable it.

If you want a separate preference sheet, the live Secret Santa questionnaire walkthrough explains the free questionnaire tool. That tool is separate from the exchange's Mystery Q&A and does not join you to an exchange or reveal a match.

Invitation or match problems

If a general invitation link will not let you join after the draw, ask the organizer for your personal invitation. Existing invitees can have different access from a brand-new visitor.

If you joined under the wrong account or do not see your name, stop before choosing another person's place. Ask the organizer to check the roster and invited address. If the exchange is cancelled, archived or unavailable, ask for its current link.

Opening an emailed match notification is not proof that you completed the join. Conversely, missing email is not proof there was no draw; check the exchange while signed in. Contact support if the organizer cannot resolve access.

Related: Sign-in help, organizer guide, surprise protection.