Secret Santa Bot for Telegram

The new year is close, your office wants to play Secret Santa, and somebody has to cut paper slips, draw names and make sure nobody pulls their own. Usually that somebody is you. Secret Santa Bot does the chores right inside Telegram. 🎅

It is the Telegram bot of the MySanta service. It helps organize gift exchanges for coworkers, family and friends with no extra apps.

Goodbye, paper slips

You create a game, the bot gives you an invite link and players join through it. As organizer you choose the game type, the dates and the gift budget, and the rest runs on its own.

The draw can start once at least three people have joined. The bot randomly assigns pairs and tells each person who they are shopping for. Only the giver knows who got whom.

Wishlists end the what-to-buy dilemma

The awkward part of Secret Santa is getting a name and having no idea what that person likes. The service answers with wishlists, where each player writes up their own gift ideas.

• From suggested items. Pick favorites from ready options.
• By link. Add a product from an online store.
• With a picture and a description. For things you cannot find in shops.

The wishlist is built in the browser, but you can sign in with one tap from Telegram, with no separate signup. 🛍️

An anonymous chat with your recipient

Need to ask about a sweater size or a favorite color? There is an anonymous chat with your recipient, so you can ask without revealing who you are.

For remote teams the service includes gift trackers, which show whether a present has been sent and when it should arrive.

Bot commands

The menu is small, and you can learn it in a minute:

• /newgame. Create a new game.
• /menu. Main menu.
• /tariff. A hint on when it is free and when it is paid.
• /info and /privacy. About the service and the privacy policy.
• /support. Contact support.

There is also a /santa_ai command that you can open from the menu and explore yourself.

Free or paid

The service has a free option and paid plans. The more players and features you need, the higher the plan. Check the exact terms with /tariff, because prices and limits in services like this tend to change. 💳

Keeping the party fun

Even the best bot cannot save a game without simple rules. Agree on the basics in advance.

1. Set a reasonable budget so nobody feels awkward.
2. Announce the delivery date and how gifts will be handed over.
3. Say that a small symbolic present is fine for people who dislike big gestures.
4. Do not reveal giver and recipient pairs in the group chat before the party.

If some coworkers do not use Telegram, ask the organizer to add them manually. That way nobody is left out. 🎁