What Is Kris Kringle? The Aussie Guide to Secret Santa's Cousin

22 July 20266 min read•1,007 words

Kris Kringle is an anonymous gift exchange where each person is randomly assigned one other person to buy a present for, usually within an agreed budget. It's Australia's most common name for what people in the US and UK call Secret Santa. Everyone keeps their assigned name secret until gifts are revealed at the party.

What Is Kris Kringle? (Meaning)

Kris Kringle is a group gift game. Instead of everyone buying a present for every other person, each player gets one secret name to shop for. Nobody knows who has drawn their name until gifts are handed out, usually at a party or family gathering.

The game works well for big groups. Instead of ten people buying nine gifts each, everyone buys just one. It saves money and time, and it adds a bit of mystery to the run-up to Christmas.

Kris Kringle usually comes with a few basic rules attached: an agreed spending limit, a fair way to draw names, and a set date to swap gifts. More on that below.

Where the Name Comes From (Origin)

The name Kris Kringle has German roots. It comes from "Christkindl", meaning "Christ Child". In German Protestant tradition from around the 16th century, the Christkindl was the figure linked to giving gifts at Christmas, standing in for the more Catholic figure of Saint Nicholas.

German-speaking immigrants carried the word "Christkindl" with them when they settled in English-speaking countries. Over time, English speakers changed the pronunciation and spelling until it settled into "Kris Kringle". The name picked up a second life along the way, too. In some places, Kris Kringle became just another name for Santa Claus himself, on top of its use for the gift-swap game.

So when someone mentions "Kris Kringle" in an Australian office, they aren't nodding to old German folklore. Most people have no idea about that part of the story. It's simply the local word for a Secret Santa swap.

Kris Kringle vs Secret Santa: Are They the Same?

Yes. Kris Kringle and Secret Santa describe exactly the same activity: an anonymous gift swap where each person is secretly assigned one other person to buy for, usually with a set budget.

The difference is regional, not practical. "Kris Kringle" is the name most Australians use, and it turns up in Ireland too, sometimes spelled "Kris Kindle". "Secret Santa" is the more common term in the US and the UK.

If a friend in London invites you to a Secret Santa and a colleague in Sydney invites you to a Kris Kringle, expect the same game either way. Pick a name, keep it quiet, buy a gift, reveal it later.

How Australians Play Kris Kringle

In Australia, Kris Kringle turns up in three main settings: workplaces, friend groups and families. It's a fixture of the end-of-year Christmas party season, when everyone is winding down before the summer break.

At work, it's often the simplest way to mark the season without the cost and awkwardness of buying for every single colleague. Among friends, it keeps Christmas gift-giving affordable when the group is large. Within families, it's a way to manage bigger gatherings, where buying individually for every cousin, aunt and uncle would get expensive fast.

Names are usually drawn at random, sometimes from a hat, sometimes with an online tool. If you would rather skip the fuss of writing names on paper and passing round a hat, you can start a Kris Kringle exchange online and let the draw happen automatically.

Rules and Budgets

Every Kris Kringle needs a handful of ground rules to run smoothly.

Agree a budget before anyone shops. Common budgets in Australia sit around $20">A$20 to $30">A$30 for office groups and friends, and $30">A$30 to $50">A$50 for family swaps.
Draw names fairly, so nobody ends up buying for a partner or picking their own name by accident.
Keep your assigned person secret until the reveal. Half the fun is not knowing who has your name.
Set a date to exchange gifts, usually the work party or a family gathering.

A clear budget stops the whole thing turning awkward, where one person spends $15 and another spends $80 without meaning to show anyone up. Once the rules are set, the only hard part left is picking a good gift.

That's where a wishlist helps. If everyone in the group has a list of things they actually want, nobody is left guessing. You can create your free wishlist and share it with your Kris Kringle group, so whoever draws your name has real ideas to work from instead of a random guess.

Looking for present ideas once you know who you've drawn? Check out our more gift guides for inspiration across budgets and interests.

Frequently Asked Questions

4 questions answered

Yes. Both names describe the same anonymous gift swap, where each person buys for one secretly assigned person within an agreed budget. Kris Kringle is simply the name more commonly used in Australia and Ireland, while Secret Santa is more common in the US and UK.

The name comes from "Christkindl", German for "Christ Child", a figure tied to Christmas gift-giving in German Protestant tradition from the 16th century. German-speaking immigrants brought the word into English-speaking countries, and it gradually changed into "Kris Kringle".

Budgets vary by group, but Australian office and friend groups commonly agree on around A$20 to A$30 per gift. Family Kris Kringles tend to run a bit higher, often A$30 to A$50, since family gifts are sometimes more personal.

Yes. In some places, "Kris Kringle" is also used as an alternative name for Santa Claus himself, separate from its use as the name of the gift-swap game. Both uses trace back to the same German "Christkindl" origin. Ready to make Kris Kringle easy this year? Start a Kris Kringle exchange and let List of Wishes handle the name draw for you.

How did you find this article?