Secret Santa over WhatsApp

The group chat is where your gift exchange lives, but the draw can't happen there without spoilers. Hollyhush makes one private link per person and a ready-to-send message, so you can run Secret Santa from WhatsApp without anyone signing up.

Start your draw

Step by step

  1. Create the draw at Hollyhush. It takes about a minute.
  2. On your dashboard tap WhatsApp next to each name. WhatsApp opens with a message addressed to that person, containing their private link. Pick the person's chat and send.
  3. Post the group announcement ("Secret Santa is on, I'm sending each of you a link") in the group chat. Hollyhush writes it for you.
  4. Watch the dashboard as people open their links. Nudge anyone who hasn't.

Don't put the links in the group

Each link is a person's secret. If you paste all the links into the group, everyone can open everyone else's page. Send each person only their own, in a private chat. The dashboard's WhatsApp buttons are built for exactly this.

As a safety net, links lock to the first device that opens them: if someone else opens a link first, the real owner sees a warning and the organiser sees a device alert.

WhatsApp's in-app browser

Tapping a link in WhatsApp can open it in an in-app browser. If the recipient then taps "Open in Safari/Chrome", their link looks like it has been opened on another device. Hollyhush handles this: they confirm "that was me, continue here". It counts as a device change and nobody loses their draw.

Works the same on iMessage and SMS

Every dashboard row also has a Messages / SMS button, and a Copy button for Telegram, Signal, Slack or email. The links are plain letters and numbers, so apps don't break them.

Frequently asked questions

Is there a Secret Santa bot for WhatsApp?

Not needed. WhatsApp doesn't allow private bots in groups. Hollyhush gives you per-person message buttons instead, which are just as quick.

Will the group see who drew whom?

No. Only each person sees their own giftee, on their own link.

What if someone doesn't use WhatsApp?

Use the SMS button or copy the message. Each link is just a web address.

Do people need to install anything?

No. Links open in any phone browser.