You know what makes for happy coworkers? Gifts! Today, I am sharing the ultimate guide to setting up secret pal for coworkers at work. And not only is this post geared toward the set up of the gift exchange with a free secret pal questionnaire, but it also includes ideas for gifts, secret pal messages for coworkers, and monthly themes.
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If you ever read my post on Secret Santa (and if you haven’t, I’ve linked it below), you probably already know of my love for gift giving – especially secret gift giving!
Setting up a secret pal game to play throughout the year or a secret Santa game during the holiday season can be a moral booster – especially during stressful work times. Even the smallest of gifts can brighten someone’s day.
When to Hold a Secret Pal Game at Work
The beauty of an organized gift exchange is that it can run for as many days, weeks, or months as you wish! At my work as a teacher, we start the game after Labor Day and it runs through the end of the school year (May). But at some of my friends’ workplaces, they set the game for on particular month – with gifts being delivered 2 times a week for the month. It really is just up to you!
Choose a Secret Pal Questionnaire
If you are the one organizing the work gift exchange, you will need to start by having the participants complete a gift exchange survey.
I have two free secret pal questionnaire forms for you to choose from. Just open the file, print a copy, and print as many as you need for your coworkers.
Secret Pal Questionnaire #1
Secret Pal Questionnaire #2
How to Organize a Secret Pal Draw
You need to come up with a plan for how you want to distribute the secret pal forms randomly.
List of Steps for an Easy Gift Exchange Draw
- Make enough copies of the secret pal form for everyone and pass them out.
- Give everyone a week or so to complete their form and turn it back into you by a set date.
- Make a copy of each paper (in case someone comes to you later and says he lost his paper).
- Make a list of all the participants.
- Go around to all of the participants (take your list with you) and have them draw a paper.
- Write down the name of the person drawn by each participant (in case there is confusion later as to which person has which name…it happens!).
Set Some Guidelines for Secret Pal for Coworkers
You will want everyone to play the game fair and square. This means you need to set guidelines so everyone understands how to play. Just like with the length of time, the guidelines for how often to gift, how much to spend on gifts, etc. is up to you.
You need a secret gift formula: number of gifts x length of time x amount of money
Timeline Possibilities
- Two gifts per month for X amount of months; $15 total per month
- Two gifts per week for one month; $10 total per week
- One gift per day for one week; $5 per day
These are just a few suggestions. You can change up any of the formula as you wish.
Of course, in your first communication to your coworkers, you must give a start and end date.
Secret Pal Themes
Here is a list of secret pal themes that might help streamline the process. Themes are not necessarily. Personally, I don’t prefer them. But many people do.
Secret Pal Monthly Themes (For Multi-Month Games)
- Survival Kit September (something helpful to survive the job)
- All Treats, No Tricks October (favorite sweet treats)
- Nice Smell November (something in their favorite smell)
- Dazzling December (something Christmas-related)
- Fresh Start January (something for a fresh start)
- Friendly February (something Valentine’s-related)
- Spring-y March (something spring related)
- Alive April (something live – plants or flowers, flower seeds, etc.)
- Magnificent May (multiple: Cinco de Mayo theme, Mother’s Day, May Day)
- Jumping for Summer June (something summer-related)
- Thirsty July (favorite drink…keep it work appropriate if you need to!)
- Aways Hustling August (something to help them relax)
Secret Pal Weekly Themes – 5 Senses
- Week 1 – Sense of Sight (something beautiful to look at – plant or flower, favorite color, etc.)
- Week 2 – Sense of Sound (iTunes gift card)
- Week 3 – Sense of Touch (fuzzy socks, textured flower pot, etc.)
- Week 4 – Sense of Smell (favorite candle or scented wax)
- Week 5 – Sense of Taste (favorite treats or drinks)
Secret Pal Daily Themes
- Souper Sunday (Soup Mixes, soup delivery, etc)
- Makeover Monday (new nail polish, new socks, etc.)
- Tasty Tuesday (favorite snack)
- Wild Wednesday (something completely surprising)
- Thirsty Thursday (favorite drink)
- Favorites Friday (something that is a favorite)
- Stylish Saturday (something that is “trending” – either for personal style or home style)
Seriously, the sky is the limit on themes!
And not all gifts need to be wrapped! You can brighten people’s day by leaving a little treat on their desk or in their mailboxes.
Secret Pal Messages for Coworkers
One of the fun things about the gift-giving is adding catchy secret pal messages for coworkers or friends.
Check out my free printable secret pal notes and print them off in color (or black and white/greyscale) and keep them handy for the entire duration of your secret gift game. Some are cute for themes and others are good for any day and any gift.
Secret Pal Messages for Coworkers Printable
Ideas for Secret Pal Gifts or Secret Santa Gifts Under 10 Dollars
Good secret pal gifts don’t have to be expensive. Most importantly, they reflect that you put a little thought into the gift choices. A cute secret pal note will often do the trick!
It’s a bit tricky to give secret gift suggestions since a lot of it highly depends on the person’s preferences. But I am going to give a general list of some of my favorite secret Santa and other work gifts over the years. Everything I am linking up will be in the $10 and under category.
Secret Gifts for Women, Men & Unisex
- Lip Gloss (almost 60,000 great reviews!) or Chapstick
- Fuzzy socks
- Seasonal decor items (ideas vary based on season)
- Soup mixes (my favorites are the Jalapeno Chowder and the Chicken Chile Verde but they are all great!)
- Bracelets
- Earrings
- Stationary
- Nail Polish
- Photo Frame and Letter Board Combo
- Bow Knot Scrunchies
- Cell Phone Ring Holder
- Pack of Phone Chargers
- Car Cleaning Gel
- Golf Towel
- Phone Stand
Check Out My Other Gift-Related Posts
Teacher Must Haves from Amazon
Back to School Teacher Gift Baskets
Angie Presley
This is so helpful!
Amy
Yay! I’m glad you find it helpful! That’s always the goal!
Kris
Thanks so much for the awesome printable!
Amy
I’m glad it is useful for you! Have fun with your Secret Pal game!