Secret Santa Village
A snowy village where your family draws names, keeps secrets, and spoils each other.
No passwords. We send a magic link to your email.
How a season goes
- 1
Move in
Whenever you like
Pick your peep (hair, coat, the mug in their hand) and fill in your guest card, so the person who draws you has somewhere to start.
- 2
The draw
One evening
Everyone rides the coaster and a name drops down each chimney. Pulled names from a hat at dinner instead? Each of you quietly records who you drew.
- 3
The quiet weeks
The weeks before
Letters go back and forth through Pip. Hints pile up, Ask the village gets whispered answers, and wishes get a quiet "got it".
- 4
Gift Day
The morning of
The ceremony, one gift at a time, in the order you agreed, best for last. Then dinner.
What’s in the village
Everything a family needs for a month of whispering, and nothing it doesn't.
The living village
Day turns to dusk turns to night. Your cottage window lights up as you add wishes, a wreath goes up when your guest card is filled, and string lights follow.
The pets wander, the highland cows hold court at the farm, and maps for other towns are on the way.
Pip the mail elf
Write to your giftee (or back to your Santa) with letters and illustrated postcards. Pip carries every one and re-tells it in his own words, so nobody can guess who wrote it.
You see “Pip will say:” before anything goes.
Ask the village
Stuck on a size or a favourite colour? A Santa can ask the whole village, or just a few people. Answers come back with no names on them.
Hints
Noticed someone eyeing a scarf? Leave a hint about them. It’s anonymous, and only that person’s Santa can read it. Perfect for the shy wisher who never says what they want.
Wishlists & guest cards
Paste a shop link and it turns into a little card with a picture. Wishes sit on shelves:
Your guest card holds sizes, snacks and the don’ts, plus a surprise dial from “stick to the list” to “surprise me”.
Gift Day
Set the turn order, save the best for last, and open together. Every screen in the room reveals the same gift at the same moment, one at a time, then a little recap of who gave what.
Schedule
Who lands when, what we’re doing together, and who’s bringing what to dinner. “Josh is cooking: beef bourguignon with potatoes.” Anyone can add to it.
Music
Six synthesized holiday tracks: an original ballad, a music box, a lounge trio, and carols in country, chiptune and fireside styles. Off until you tap it on.
Email nudges
A gentle email when a letter or postcard arrives, when Pip has a question for you, or when the person you're buying for adds a wish. Village news comes in a digest. Turn any of it off from the Me page or with one tap from any email.
Secrets stay secret
The organizer can't peek.Whoever starts the draw sees that it happened, not who got whom.
Your giftee can't see a thing.Not the hints about them, not which wishes are claimed, not who their Santa is. That isn't the screen hiding it: the database itself refuses to hand it over.
Your handwriting won't give you away.Pip rewrites every letter in his own words, so your favourite phrases and your exclamation marks stay with you.
Postcards from the valley
Six illustrated cards on the rack. Write on the back, and Pip delivers it in his own words.
Questions at the gate
The things people ask at the village gate.
Is it free?
Yes. No ads, no sponsored gift ideas, nothing to buy. Wishlists link to wherever you like to shop.
Does everyone need an account?
Just an email address. There's no password: we email a six-digit code and a magic link, and either one signs you in.
We drew names in person. Can we still use it?
Yes. Turn on "Names were drawn in person" when you set up the village and each person quietly tells the village who they drew. Wishlists, hints and letters through Pip all work the same.
Is it really anonymous?
Yes. The organizer can't see who drew whom, and nobody can see who their own Santa is or the hints left about them. Pip the mail elf rewrites every letter in his own words, so your writing style can't give you away. Pairs only come out on Gift Day, one gift at a time, if you open presents together in the app.
Who is it for?
Families and close friend groups who want the weeks before the exchange to be part of the fun.