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A DrawNames alternative for the whole month
DrawNames is a quick, no-fuss name draw. Snowglobe Village is what happens after the draw: a snowy village your group lives in until gift day.
Updated
Who DrawNames is great for
DrawNames does one job and keeps it simple. It's a great fit if you want:
- A fast draw with no account. Its app listing says no sign-in is needed to start.
- No ads. Its app listing says so.
- Exclusions and wish lists, and not much else to learn.
- A group that just needs names, and will sort out the rest in the group chat.
Why a family or friend group might prefer Snowglobe Village
If your group wants the weeks before gift day to be part of the fun, a village gives the season somewhere to live:
- Guest cards with sizes, vibe tags, the don'ts and a surprise dial, so Santas aren't guessing.
- Hints and Ask the village, so Santas can find out what they need without giving themselves away.
- Letters and postcards through Pip, retold in his own words so your writing style is harder to recognize.
- Gift Day, one gift at a time on every screen at once, then a recap of who gave what.
- The Days, a shared schedule of arrivals, plans and dinner dishes.
- A living village that lights up as people add wishes. No ads here either.
Side by side
| Feature | Snowglobe Village | DrawNames |
|---|---|---|
| Price | Snowglobe Village: Free. No ads, no sponsored gift ideas, nothing to buy. | DrawNames: Free. |
| Ads | Snowglobe Village: None. | DrawNames: Its App Store listing says no ads. |
| Account | Snowglobe Village: Email sign-in with a code or magic link, no password. Adults 18+. | DrawNames: Its App Store listing says no account is required. |
| Apps | Snowglobe Village: Web app that works in any phone or desktop browser. | DrawNames: Website and a mobile app. |
| Exclusions (couples) | Snowglobe Village: Yes, plus no swapping pairs. | DrawNames: Yes. |
| Names drawn in person | Snowglobe Village: Yes: Names were drawn in person mode, where each person privately records who they drew. | DrawNames: — |
| Wishlists | Snowglobe Village: Shop links become picture cards on four shelves: little things, the dream, experiences, no money needed. Others can mark a wish “Got it”. | DrawNames: Yes, each person can make and share a wish list. |
| Questions, hints and letters | Snowglobe Village: Ask the village: answers come back shown without names. Plus hints to a giftee's Santa. Letters and illustrated postcards, retold by Pip (an AI mail elf) so your writing style is harder to recognize. | DrawNames: — |
| Gift day ceremony | Snowglobe Village: A shared ceremony: one gift at a time, in turn order, on every screen at once, then a recap. | DrawNames: — |
| Shared schedule and meals | Snowglobe Village: Arrivals, plans together, and who's bringing what to dinner. | DrawNames: — |
Only need a quick draw? Our own free Secret Santa generator does that too, with no sign-up.
What Snowglobe Village doesn’t do
Fair is fair. A few things to know before you pick:
- No native apps. It's a web app. It works in a phone browser, but there's nothing to download from an app store.
- Adults only. Snowglobe Village is for people 18 and over, in the United States.
- Secret Santa only. No White Elephant or Yankee Swap mode.
- An email address is needed. There's no password, but everyone signs in with their email.
DrawNames is a trademark of its owner, used here only to name the product. Snowglobe Village isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by it. Features change; check DrawNames’s own site for the latest.
Questions people ask
What's the difference between DrawNames and Snowglobe Village?
DrawNames is a quick way to draw names and share wish lists, with no account needed. Snowglobe Village is a shared snowy village for the whole season: wishlists and guest cards, hints, questions to the village, letters retold by Pip, a shared schedule and a Gift Day ceremony.
Is there a free Secret Santa generator with no sign-up?
Yes. Snowglobe Village's free Secret Santa generator runs in your browser with exclusions and no swapping pairs, and gives each person a private reveal link. No account, nothing stored on a server.
Do I need an account for Snowglobe Village?
The free tools need nothing. A village needs an email address to sign in, with no password: you get a code and a magic link. Villages are invite-only for now.