Secret Santa Bot: A Draw in Minutes

New Year is two weeks away, the team chat is already arguing about who gives what, and somebody lost the paper slips with names. Sound familiar? The Secret Santa bot takes over the draw, and nobody finds out who got their gift until the right moment.

What the bot does

The bot calls itself the best in Russia for playing Secret Santa. It gathers players, randomly assigns pairs, and runs the game up to the gift swap.

• The draw. Each person learns who they give to, and the rest never see it.
• Wishlists. Players write what they would like, so the giver does not have to guess.
• Anonymous chat. You can write to your Santa without revealing names.
• Mini games. Entertainment so the wait does not drag on.
• AI fairy tales. Short holiday stories generated by a neural network.

Starting a game in five steps

1. Send /newgroup and name your company.
2. Share the invitation link in the common chat.
3. Each participant joins and adds a wishlist.
4. When everyone is in, run the draw.
5. Send anonymous messages to your giftee and prepare the present.

See your created groups with /my_groups, and answers to common questions live in /help.

Why anonymity works

The main joy of Secret Santa is the mystery. The anonymous chat lets you ask something like what size they wear without giving yourself away. The recipient can also hint at what would not suit them.

That fixes the usual office swap problem: a mug for the budget price that nobody asked for.

Setting rules that everyone likes

It is better to agree in advance and post the rules in the common chat before the draw.

• Budget. Name a sum or a range. That way nobody gets an expensive gift in return for something cheap.
• Deadline. Give a date by which presents must be ready.
• Handover. In person at the party, or through a coworker if you work remotely.
• Exceptions. If couples are in the group, decide whether they may draw each other.

Playing from a distance

Secret Santa suits friends in different cities too. The wishlist tells you what to order, and the anonymous chat helps you ask about a delivery address without revealing yourself.

Ship early. Holiday parcels get delayed, and a few days of buffer beat sitting without a gift on the day. 🎁

The yearly name and support

The bot's name changes every year and carries the year number, but it is the same project. If something goes wrong with the draw or a group, write to technical support, whose contact is listed in the bot description.

Participants see each other by Telegram account names. Warn colleagues that real profile names help, so nobody has to search for one Olga among ten identical ones.

For a large company, split people into groups by department. The swap takes less time and the gifts feel warmer.