Holiday stationery
Make folded Secret Santa name cards for an in-person draw
A paper gift exchange works when nobody can recognise a name before drawing it. Use the same stock, card size and fold for every person. The example uses eight participants around one table and a second stack of blank cards for corrections.
Confirm the names first
Ask each participant how their name should appear, particularly when two people share a first name. Write an unambiguous version on a separate list. Count the people actually joining before printing the cards.
Lay out identical backs
Draw a grid with one name inside each card and a blank outside panel. Use a dark enough stock or a second fold if ink shows through. Look at one completed card against the room light before printing eight.
Keep clues off the outside
Use one pen and one handwriting style, or print the names in a single typeface. A star next to one person or a longer folded edge makes a supposedly hidden card identifiable by touch.
Set the draw rule
Agree how to handle a person drawing their own name. One simple rule for a small group is to return every card, reshuffle and draw again. If you have exclusions between households, arrange an assignment with those rules in advance.
Count once after folding
Put all the folded cards in a plain container and compare the count to the participant list. With eight people there should be eight cards. Removing a duplicate after the draw would leave someone unassigned.
Keep wish notes separate
Hand each participant a separate blank card for gift preferences. This keeps an unusual drawing or a distinctive wish from revealing a name during the draw. Collect only the information the group needs for the exchange.
Lay out a printable card sheet
Use a single front-and-fold design as the master before repeating it across a sheet.