Secret Valentine Generator
Doing a Secret Valentine at work, in class or with friends? Add the names, keep couples apart, set a small spending limit, and send everyone a private link with the person they're secretly treating.
Names drawn. Now send the links.
Don't open these links yourself unless it's your own: each one reveals a match. The draw lives inside the links, so keep this page until everyone has theirs.
How a Secret Valentine works
It's Secret Santa moved to February. Everyone draws one name and does something kind for that person without saying who they are. Groups run it one of two ways:
- One gift on the day. Everyone brings a wrapped gift within the limit, and you swap and guess at a lunch or party.
- A week of small surprises. From Monday to Thursday, leave a little treat or a nice note for your person: a chocolate on the keyboard, a coffee, a sticky note saying what you like about working with them. On Friday everyone guesses, then you reveal. This is the version offices and classrooms tend to love, because the guessing goes on all week.
Valentine's Day 2027 falls on a Sunday, so plan the reveal for Friday, February 12, and draw names by early February so nobody has to shop the night before.
How the Secret Valentine generator works
- Add everyoneType the names or paste them from Slack, Teams or a group chat. Add hints like "no nuts" or "loves sour candy".
- Set the rulesKeep couples apart, set the limit and the reveal day, and write a short note about how your group is doing it.
- Send the linksEach person gets a private page that says who they're the Secret Valentine for, the limit, the date and a countdown.
Keeping it friendly at work
- Make it opt-in. Ask who wants to play, then draw only those names. Nobody should find out they were left out on Friday.
- Friendly, not romantic. Say it up front: think "thanks for being a great teammate", not roses and jewelry. Skip perfume, lingerie and jokes that need context.
- Keep the limit low and clear. $10 to $15 for one gift, or $3 to $5 a day for a week of treats, keeps it fair for everyone on the team.
- Collect allergies first. Chocolate and candy are the default gifts, so put nut, gluten and dairy notes in each person's hints.
- Remote team? Use e-gift cards, a delivered coffee, or a message in the team channel posted by "Your Secret Valentine". The private links work wherever people are.
Galentine's Day gift exchange
Galentine's Day, February 13, comes from a 2010 episode of Parks and Recreation and has become a real excuse for friends to get together. A name draw keeps it simple: everyone buys for one friend instead of five, the limit is usually $20 to $25, and the reveal happens over brunch. In 2027 it lands on a Saturday.
Secret Valentine gift ideas
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- Chocolate sampler box
The safe choice for coworkers. Ask about nut allergies first.
- Heart socks
Fun without being romantic, so it works in any office.
- Candy assortment
Easy to split across a week of small anonymous drops.
- Cute mug
Fill it with tea bags, cocoa or candy and it's a whole gift.
- Scented candle
Pick a soft scent like vanilla or cotton, not a strong perfume.
- Mini desk plant
An artificial one survives a forgetful owner.
- Bath bomb set
A favorite for Galentine's swaps among friends.
- Galentine's gift box
Ready-made bundles for a friends' exchange.
Not sure what they like? Send a gift questionnaire (the questions work just as well in February) or ask everyone to make a wishlist link.
Questions
What is a Secret Valentine?
A Valentine's Day version of Secret Santa. Everyone draws one name and gives that person a small anonymous treat, or a few of them over the week before February 14, then the group reveals who had whom. Some offices call it Secret Cupid.
How much should a Secret Valentine gift cost?
Keep it small. At work, $10 to $15 for one gift is common; if you're doing a treat a day for a week, $3 to $5 a day adds up to about the same. Friends doing a Galentine's swap often go to $20 or $25.
What's a good Secret Valentine gift for a coworker?
Something friendly rather than romantic: chocolates or candy, a mug with tea or cocoa, fun socks, a desk plant, a candle with a light scent, or a nice notebook. Skip perfume, jewelry and anything you wouldn't give in front of the whole team.
When is Valentine's Day 2027?
Sunday, February 14, 2027. Most workplaces will hold the reveal on Friday, February 12. Galentine's Day, February 13, falls on a Saturday.
Does everyone need an account or an email address?
No. You get one private link per person and send it however your group already talks: Slack, Teams, WhatsApp, text or email. Nobody signs up.
Will the organizer see who got whom?
Only by opening other people's links. Each match is scrambled inside that person's link, so the organizer can take part too.
More for Valentine's week
- Valentine cards for classmatesPaste the class list and print a card for every kid, names already filled in.
- Valentine's word searchPick the Valentine's Day word list, print one for every kid in class with an answer key.
- Gift questionnaireCoworker, friend and kids versions to print or paste into the chat.
- White elephant generatorRunning a gift-stealing game at the party instead? Turn order and a steal tracker.