Set Secret Santa exclusions

Use Draw exclusions before drawing names to keep two participants from drawing each other, such as a couple. Too many exclusions can leave no valid draw.

Add an exclusion

1. Open the exchange as an organizer or someone with the required management access.
2. Find Draw exclusions while the exchange is open.
3. Choose Add, select Person A and Person B, then choose Add to save the pair.
4. Check the saved pair before drawing names.

The pair cannot be the same person, and an existing pair does not need to be added twice. Use the remove control beside a pair to remove an exclusion while the exchange allows editing.

If the draw cannot be completed

Review exclusions and the participants who have not declined. Remove unnecessary restrictions or adjust the participant group before trying again. At least three participants are needed for a draw; exclusions can make even a larger group impossible to match.

After names are drawn

Do not treat an exclusion change as a quiet fix to an existing assignment. Review participant changes and redraws with the group first. A redraw can change recipients people have already shopped for.

Last year's matches carried through Run it again are a separate option. Exchange management can disclose information about matches indirectly; do not promise that an organizer can never infer pairings.

Related: Organize an exchange, reuse an exchange.