{"id":11768,"date":"2020-01-09T08:00:27","date_gmt":"2020-01-09T13:00:27","guid":{"rendered":"\/blog\/?p=11768"},"modified":"2023-02-21T12:19:35","modified_gmt":"2023-02-21T17:19:35","slug":"the-best-ways-to-draw-names-randomly-for-a-gift-exchange-elf","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.elfster.com\/blog\/2020\/01\/09\/the-best-ways-to-draw-names-randomly-for-a-gift-exchange-elf\/","title":{"rendered":"The Best Ways to Draw Names Randomly for a Gift Exchange"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"An<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

My cousin, Laura, is probably one of the world\u2019s worst Secret Santa players. She gets amazing gifts and is one of the warmest and funniest people I know. But every year, when we\u2019d draw names from a hat, she would look directly at the person whose name she pulled<\/em>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

She tried not to. You could see beads of sweat forming as she struggled not to look up. But then she would, glancing directly at the person. It was wonderful. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, that meant her giftee didn\u2019t have to do much guessing, and she was eliminated as a possibility for everyone else. It certainly didn\u2019t ruin anything (and, in fact, became part of our tradition), but for her own peace of mind, we decided to find a different way. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the right name drawing system, you can enjoy ease of use, total anonymity, and a way to communicate without any spoilers. Finding the best way to draw names randomly makes things easier, more fun, and 100% Laura-proof. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ways to Draw Names Randomly <\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Everyone has their own way of randomly drawing names. Here are some of the most popular ones:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a Hat<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

This is the most basic way to draw names. Write people\u2019s names on slips of paper, toss them into a hat (or bowl, or box, or whatever), and pass it around for drawing. As long as no one looks right at their person, it works pretty well. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, there are drawbacks. Everyone who is playing has to be present at the time of the draw, which isn\u2019t always practical. If they aren\u2019t present, someone has to draw for them, which means at least one person knows more than one pair (and that\u2019s less fun for them). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Also, you can\u2019t really do exclusions. You know; like so parents can\u2019t have their kids, brothers and sisters can\u2019t draw each other, no supervisor\/employee matches, etc. If you use a hat and someone draws a name they shouldn\u2019t have, they have to refold it and put it back in. Obviously, that\u2019s not, like, a chore<\/em>, but it breaks up the rhythm. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having One Person in Charge<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One year, we appointed a \u201cSecretary-General of Secret Santa.\u201d This person drew all the matches herself and wrote down the pairs for the rest of us. The benefit was that not everyone had to be there, since the one person did all the drawing. It was all on the same level. And of course, she could just toss a name back in if it was excluded. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But the Secretary-General had to do a lot of work, making sure everyone got the right names. And she wasn\u2019t able to guess since she already knew everything. Her secret Santa wasn\u2019t exactly a secret. Not that much fun for her. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This isn\u2019t a terrible idea, but it puts a lot of pressure on one person. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

A Virtual Way to Draw Names<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

More people are looking at virtual name generators<\/a>. This makes sense; it\u2019s easy to stay anonymous, it\u2019s quick, and you don\u2019t have to worry about exclusion lists. But of course, some virtual name generators are better than others<\/a>. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When I\u2019m looking for the best way to draw names randomly using a virtual hat, I look for a few features: <\/p>\n\n\n\n