Smart Derangement Algorithm • Couple & Household Exclusions
Secret Santa Generator
Exclude Couples, Spouses & Siblings
Drawing names from a hat always fails when a husband draws his wife or a parent draws their own child—forcing the whole room to start over. Use our built-in exclusion rules below to guarantee nobody draws their partner!
How Our Couple Exclusion Filter Works
No awkward redraws, no spoiled secrets, and mathematically verified fairness.
Two-Way Couple Blocking
Click “Add Couple Pair (A ↔ B)” to block both directions at once so Person A cannot draw Person B, and Person B cannot draw Person A.
Repeat-Last-Year Prevention
Want to make sure nobody gets the same person they bought for in 2025? Add single-direction rules (A cannot draw B) for last year's matches!
Minimum 4 People for Couples
Note on math: if you have 2 couples (4 people total), a valid cross-couple loop always exists! With only 3 people, excluding a 2-person couple leaves no valid loop.
Organizing a large family or office party? Check out our Official Secret Santa Rules Guide or our No-Email Secret Santa Generator.