1. Thank-you card swap
Everyone draws a colleague’s name and writes two specific sentences of thanks for something that happened this year. Cards are handed out (or read anonymously). Quiet, warm and memorable.
Secret Santa alternatives for work
Updated: 2026-10-24
The best Secret Santa alternatives for work keep the fun part, a small surprise for everyone, and drop the hard part: buying for one assigned colleague you barely know. Good options are a dice gift swap where nobody is assigned to anyone, kind secret missions, written thank-you notes, team awards or pooling the budget for something the whole team shares.
Below you find 9 alternatives with what each one needs, a short guide to which one fits your team, and a way to suggest the change without anyone feeling their tradition was cancelled.
Why teams look for something else
- New colleagues draw names of people they have hardly spoken to and then worry about the gift for weeks.
- A fixed budget still feels like pressure for some people, and saying no to Secret Santa can feel awkward.
- Remote and hybrid teams would have to ship gifts, which costs time and extra money.
- Not everyone celebrates Christmas: inclusive formats make the season about the team, not about one holiday.
9 alternatives that work at work
- Dice gift swap: everyone brings one wrapped gift for anybody, dice decide who ends up with what. Nobody is assigned to anyone, so nobody has to guess a colleague's taste.
- White elephant with stealing: people pick a gift in turn or steal one that has already been opened. Livelier than dice, best for teams that like a bit of drama.
- Secret missions: everyone draws a small, kind task for the evening instead of a gift. No budget, and people talk to colleagues they rarely meet.
- Thank-you notes: everyone draws a name and writes two specific sentences of thanks. Costs nothing and is often kept longer than a gift.
- Team awards: funny, kind titles like Calmest in a Crisis, voted by the team and handed out with a paper certificate.
- Cookie or recipe swap: everyone brings a batch or one written recipe. People can join without baking by bringing a recipe card.
- Book swap: everyone brings a book they liked, with a note on why. Second-hand books are explicitly welcome.
- Team donation: put the gift budget into a shared pot and let the team choose by anonymous vote where the money goes. Nobody has to reveal how much they gave.
- A shared highlight: spend the budget on breakfast for everyone or on a small prize for the winners of a team quiz.
Which alternative fits your team
- No budget at all: secret missions, thank-you notes or team awards.
- The team likes gifts, but not assigned names: dice gift swap or white elephant.
- Many new people: secret missions or a team quiz, because both give everyone a reason to talk.
- Fully remote: thank-you notes on a shared online board, awards in the call, a quiz on screen.
How to suggest the change
- Start an anonymous poll with three options, one of them classic Secret Santa. Then the decision belongs to the team, not to you.
- Announce the result with the date, the budget (or no budget) and one sentence on how it works.
- Make opting out easy: people can skip the gift part and still join the game.
- Keep the moment of revealing or unwrapping at the end of the party. That is the part people remember.
The games
2. Secret missions
Everyone draws a sealed card with a harmless mission (“get three people to say ‘cinnamon’”, “find out someone’s favourite holiday film”). At dessert, people reveal and guess missions. Runs quietly in the background all evening.
Host tips
- Do not run two gift formats at once. One clear format is less stress for everyone.
- If you keep a budget, say it as a limit, not as a target.
- Ask a colleague who loved Secret Santa to co-host the new format.
- Planning the whole party? The checklist covers invitations, budget and timing.
FAQ
What can we do instead of Secret Santa at work?
A dice gift swap or white elephant if people still want gifts, but without assigned names. Secret missions, thank-you notes or team awards if you want no budget at all. For remote teams, notes on a shared board and a quiz in the call work well.
Is there a Secret Santa alternative that costs nothing?
Yes: thank-you notes, secret missions and team awards need only paper and pens. A team quiz with a small prize is the cheapest option if you still want a winner.
How do I suggest dropping Secret Santa without offending anyone?
Run an anonymous poll with three options and include classic Secret Santa. Present the result as the team's choice, and let people opt out of the gift part without explanation.
Which alternative works for remote teams?
Thank-you notes on a shared online board, team awards presented in the call and a screen-shared quiz. All three avoid shipping gifts.
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