'Secret Santa' Exchanges Made Easier Online

MIAMI — For years, Caroline Lamarre dreaded the annual "Secret Santa" tradition of picking a name out of a hat and giving her secret match a gift.

She'd have to find a time when all her friends could get together to draw names, and people would have to draw again whenever they picked themselves or a sibling. So it only made sense for her to let a computer do all that. "This year it probably took me about five minutes," said Lamarre, 23, who used Elfster.com for the second time. "My friends think I'm a nerd, but they like it."

Valencia, of Boca Raton, Fla, right, and Li Shi, center, exchange Secret Santa gifts on the beach in Boca Raton, Fla. By Steve Mitchell, AP

Participants also can create "wish lists" and "do not need" lists, and secret givers can pose anonymous questions like T-shirt size or favorite color.

Peter Imburg, the creator and "main elf" of Elfster.com, said usage has nearly tripled this year to more than 70,000 people. Last year, when the service launched, about 24,000 people participated in 3,000 exchange groups.

"I never exactly envisioned myself as being Santa's little helper, but I feel that the role suits me, and I rather enjoy it," Imburg said.

Imburg said he started his site to make his family exchange easier. Now, the Oakland, computer programmer says he spends hours creating new site features, including one that calculates users' "Naughtiness Factor" and "Elf Score" ratings based on their participation in the site.