Happy Giving Step by step
How Happy Giving works
Organizing a gift exchange should not take a hat, a spreadsheet and three group chats. Here is the whole thing, start to finish.
The four steps
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Create the exchange
Choose the occasion, the gift date and a price cap for each gift. Set exclusions, like couples who should not draw each other.
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Invite by link
Share one link by text, WhatsApp or email. People can join in a browser or in the app. You need at least 4 people.
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Wishlists and clues
Everyone adds 3 to 5 wishlist ideas under the cap, from any store, plus a photo and a few clue answers for the game.
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Draw and buy
The organizer starts the draw. Each person taps "Draw my person", sees who they are buying for and picks something from that wishlist.
The price limit is on each gift
The organizer sets a limit for every gift. Each wishlist item has to be at or under it, and the app will not save an item priced above the limit. That keeps things fair without anyone doing math.
Wishlists can come from any store. Paste a link or type what you want. People can save a list while it is still short, and the giver sees a friendly note if a list is not finished yet.
How the draw keeps the secret
When the organizer starts the draw, our server shuffles everyone into pairs in one go, with nobody drawing themselves and every exclusion respected. Your device receives only your own pair. There is no screen that lists who drew whom, not even for the organizer, and a recipient never sees what was bought for them.
The organizer can see counts, like how many people have drawn, and the names of people who have not drawn yet, so they can send a nudge.
Gift day
Guess Who, then the reveal
When gift day comes, the organizer opens Game mode. On each turn, a giver reads clues about their person, from vague to specific. Everyone guesses. Then the giver reveals the pair with a big photo.
You can play on one shared screen or on every phone. The game is optional, so groups that just want to open presents can reveal everyone at once.
Clue 1 of 4
This person loves to cook.
They wear glasses.
Their hair is black.
Their name starts with M.
After the reveal
The keepsake and the history
After the reveal, everyone can see who gave what, along with the clues and a thank-you note. For Christmas, the exchange becomes a tree with each person's photo as an ornament. For other occasions, it becomes a garland of gift tags.
Each year adds a new tree or garland, so your group builds a collection over time. A person in several groups, like family and work, has one for each.
Good to know
Kids and grandparents
A parent or adult can set up a profile and wishlist for someone without a phone.
Redraw
The organizer can redraw before the gift date. Everyone is notified to draw again.
English and Spanish
Every person picks their own language. The exchange itself has none.
Ready to try it?
Create an exchange in your browser or in the app.