Secret Santa Q&A: How to Ask Online Gift Exchange Questions Like a Techy Elf

If you've ever been handed a slip of paper with an acquaintance's name and only the vaguest of gift ideas listed, something like "good music" or "a shirt that fits" or even just a "surprise me," you know that a Secret Santa gift exchange can quickly go from holiday fun to please-help-me-Mr.-Claus. That's why, if you want to be known as Gift-Giving Guru—a legend of Frosty proportions amongst coworkers, family, and friends—you'll do your homework first.

A few anonymous Secret Q&A questions to your giftee will jumpstart your sneaky gift giving endeavors so you can reign in the perfect gift regardless of whose name you've drawn, whether it's Dancer, Prancer, Donder, or that diva Blitzen (contrary to popular belief, Rudolph isn't the one with the big head).

These days, there are more ways to secretly get to know your giftee than there are snowmen in the North Pole, including some help from modern 21st-century technology that virtually guarantees the right gifts for the right people. But don't worry: even if you turn to today's tech for a little assistance, it's still a classic Secret Santa gift exchange . You don't have to give up the spirited mystery of who's giving a present to who to avoid the misery of wondering what "something fun/golf" means.

Why Secret Santa Questions Are the Snow to Your Man

At Elfster, we love making sure your presents inspire the biggest smiles. That's why we're such fans of good ole secret questions. If you've never used Secret Q&A before, let us try to explain why they're more helpful than a shiny red nose in fog. Or maybe they are the shiny red nose in your gift inspiration fog. Hmmm….

Anyway, Secret Q&A let you inquire about a broad range of questions so you can get to know your chosen giftee—questions like, "What's your favorite candy?" or "What's the last great movie you saw?" If they answered chewing gum and Footloose, you could get them some bubble gum pink dancing shoes!

You can also ask more specific questions about their hat size or favorite sports team, as well. We took an elf consensus and all agreed the best Secret Q&A have a mix of both the practical and the silly so you can surprise your Secret Santa buddy, but, you know, make sure the t-shirt actually fits.

How the Elves Know The Right Questions to Ask

When crafting a few clever Secret Q&As, it's important to ask yourself, "How can I make this fun?" Keep it light, like the first snow of the season. Here are some ideas from the Elfster imps to get you started:

1. What website do you visit every day?
2. Do you have a favorite childhood author, like Lewis Carroll, J.M. Barrie—or Dr. Seuss?
3. What's your favorite local spot for Sunday brunch?
4. What's the last TV show you stayed up all night binge watching?
5. Your Desert Island Playlist… GO! Five favorite albums you can't live without.

You get the gist. Asking just the right questions can guide you on your gift-giving mission, as sure as the reindeer on their Christmas Eve ride.

An Anonymous Online Secret Santa Tool for Techy Elves

The old school passing of a paper note is a great start, but there are always lingering uncertainties—paper is a pretty limited format. And really, there's no way to ask a follow-up without ruining Christmas, er... the surprise, for your giftee—or giving the organizer elf way more in spreading the word.

That's where Elfster's anonymous online Secret Q&As comes in like Santa magically delivering gifts to homes without a chimney (seriously, how?). Our online gift exchange allows you to bring together an unlimited number of family, friends, coworkers, mythical holiday creatures, or even strangers from around the world, and buy presents from their Wish List directly from some of the top online vendors like Amazon, Nordstrom and Fanatics. We expand your gift giving prowess, but our anonymous questions helps you narrow it down to the perfect, personalized gift.

With this feature, you can send your Secret Santa buddy anonymous questions, anything from "What's your shirt size?" to "What beauty products are your must-haves?" Elfster offers suggested questions and a way to send your own personalized ones. This allows a Secret Santa to ask direct questions without revealing his or her identity. It's the best of both worlds, made possible by our Santa-approved modern elf technology.

So, what sounds easier? Collecting and distributing pieces of paper that hopefully have helpful questions, or getting your tech on to anonymously ask your Secret Santa buddy exactly the right questions automatically?

The Christmas wish of each Secret Santa is a giftee who opens up just what they had on their list this year. The Elfster Secret Q&A is the key to the magical sleigh filled with the perfect present for any girl or boy, man or woman, elf or snowperson. Save the trees in the Candy Cane Forest by cutting out the confusing scraps of paper the next time you host a gift exchange game. Instead, sit back, relax, sip some cocoa—and sign up for an online gift exchange at Elfster.com.

Ready to get gifting? The elves are standing by, year round, to get to work behind the scenes for you, your family, and your friends. Spring, summer, winter, fall, Elfster's always free for all! Sign up today. We'll make a believer out of you!