A Secret Santa note can give you away through a small detail. The fix is a short run of notes that starts broad and gets more specific each day. The notes should also stay warm or lightly funny.
At PartyGameKit, we build free tools for gift exchanges and party games, and the organizer question we get most often is how to keep the clues fun without making anyone uncomfortable at work. The sections below cover a clue ladder with example lines, note formats that stay anonymous, the topics to leave out, and reveal ideas for in-person and remote teams.
Secret Santa clues for coworkers start vague and get more specific over the exchange. Leave short anonymous notes, never mention your department, handwriting, or schedule, and reveal yourself on the last day. Each later clue narrows the field a little more.
Clues That Hint Without Giving You Away
The clue ladder has four clues and a reveal. Keep the whole run to four or five clues across the exchange window.
| Step | Example line | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| Clue 1, Day 1 | “I am someone who has seen you refill the coffee pot.” | Opens with a vague line that is true of many people. |
| Clue 2 | “I am on a floor you pass most days.” | Gives a category hint. |
| Clue 3 | “I also dislike Monday meetings.” | Adds a mild personal hint. |
| Clue 4 | “I always bring the snacks that vanish first. Who am I?” | A riddle that narrows the guess to a small group. |
| Final | The reveal, on the date the organizer set | Ends the run with the reveal. |
Clue 1 goes out on Day 1 and stays general. Clue 2 names a category, such as a floor you pass most days. Clue 3 adds a mild personal preference. The reveal ends the run.
Each step asks the recipient to guess from a little more detail than the step before.
Type every note.
If your exchange window is short, send fewer clues and keep the same order. Skip this ladder entirely if your organizer has banned notes, and follow the organizer’s rule instead.
Note Formats That Work at Work
The five formats in our design are short typed notes, riddles or rhymes, emoji strings, small themed items with a note, and digital notes sent through the exchange’s anonymous messaging. Use one format per clue and vary them across the run.
Short Typed Notes
A typed or printed note on a sticky note or card is one format. We earn a commission on Amazon links. Sticky notes are one option for this. An example line for this format is “Someone on the floor below you has noticed your desk plant is doing well.”
Riddles and Rhymes
A riddle can be used for Clue 4. Example: “I always bring the snacks that vanish first. Who am I?” A rhyme is another example for this format: “Your inbox runs loud and your coffee runs cold, so here is a clue to unfold.”
Emoji Clue Strings
An emoji string is a short row of symbols that points at a shared thing. For example, a coffee cup, a printer, and a heart (☕🖨️💛) suggest a sender who knows the coffee station and the copier.
Small Themed Item with a Note
Pair a small item with a short note that ties to the item. A candy piece with the words “sweet to see you” is the example from our design. A candy sampler is one option for the item. Keep the note short and tied to the item.
Digital Notes Through Anonymous Messaging
If the exchange has an anonymous messaging tool, send the clue through it and keep the wording as short as a sticky note. For remote teams, the organizer’s email or chat message is the delivery route. For more on remote exchanges, see our virtual Secret Santa page.
Keeping Your Identity Secret
A clue can give its sender away through a small detail. The details to watch are handwriting, a phrase the sender repeats often, a project only the team knows, or the person who carried the note to the desk. Each of these has a fix.
- Type or print notes instead of handwriting them.
- Use a card the whole office uses.
- Deliver the note when the recipient is away from the desk.
- Do not use pet phrases you say often.
- Do not mention a project only your team knows.
- Do not ask a third party to deliver a note if they will recognize you.
- If the exchange runs online, ask the organizer to pass notes on.
Read each note once as the recipient would. If it contains a phrase you use in every meeting, rewrite that line before you deliver the note. The last check is the schedule.
What Not to Write
Use one test before you deliver any note. If you would not say it in a meeting, do not put it in a note. This is the workplace rule for the exchange.
Keep the tone warm or lightly funny. Never write about appearance, age, family, pay, health, religion, or politics. A line such as “You look tired lately” breaks the appearance rule. Lighter lines look like this: “Your desk plant is doing better than mine” is warm and funny without touching any listed topic.
Reveal Ideas
Pick a reveal that fits your office and the reveal date the organizer set. These are our reveal designs:
- A last-day lunch reveal, where the sender sits down with the recipient.
- A final gift tag signed with a pun.
- A sticky note on the desk that says “Surprise, it was me,” with a candy.
- A group reveal at the holiday party, where everyone guesses first.
- For remote teams, a video-call reveal where each person guesses before the sender is named.
Setting Up the Clue Run
The organizer’s first message sets the rules before anyone writes a clue. It should include four things:
- The exchange dates.
- The number of clues.
- A no-personal-topics rule.
- The reveal date.
Run the draw with the free Secret Santa generator to keep the pairing private.
For the full ground rules, read our Secret Santa rules page. For gift ideas that suit a workplace, see Secret Santa ideas for work and the office Secret Santa guide.
Once the organizer’s first message is out, start your Secret Santa clues for coworkers on Day 1 and let the ladder run to the reveal.