Pige de Noël: Quebec's Christmas gift draw, set up online in two minutes
Pige de Noël is what people call Secret Santa in Quebec — the tradition where instead of everyone buying a gift for everyone else, each person draws one name and buys for that person only. Elsewhere it's Secret Santa in English or Père Noël secret in France; in Quebec, you "pige" — you draw. For as long as anyone can remember, that draw has meant folded slips of paper in a bowl, a hat, or a toque, passed around the table one person at a time.
Paper draws have their share of hiccups: someone draws their own name and has to redo it in front of everyone, a slip falls on the floor and two people reach for it at once, or an uncle takes a peek before folding it back up "just to check." And that's before you even count the cousins or coworkers joining remotely, who can't be at the table for the actual draw.
Qui pige qui? runs the same tradition online, without the hiccups: you add the names, the site runs the draw for you, and everyone gets a secret link by email. You, the organizer, never see who drew whom — only that everyone's received their name. It takes about two minutes to set up, whether it's for the office pige de Noël or the family one at the holiday dinner.
Ready in 2 minutes · free for up to 12 participants · no account
How to run a pige de Noël online
Create your exchange: give it a name ("The office pige de Noël," "Our 2026 family draw"), pick an exchange date if you have one, and add a suggested budget if you'd rather avoid an $80 gift showing up when the plan was $20.
Add your participants: a name and an email is all it takes for each person. Enter everyone at once — family, coworkers, friends — and you can still add or remove people right up until you run the draw.
Add exclusions if you need to: couples who already shop for each other's gifts don't need to draw one another too. Check the box and the draw takes care of it automatically, no extra thinking required.
Run the draw: with one click, every participant gets an email with a secret link to the name they drew, plus a wish list to fill in. As the organizer, you only see who's opened their link — never who's giving to whom.
Free for up to 12 participants. After that, $5.99 CAD once, for an unlimited number of participants.
Why an online pige de Noël beats slips of paper
The real advantage isn't just convenience — it's trust. With names in a hat, someone always holds the bowl and sees, or guesses, who drew whom, especially if a name comes up twice and has to go back in. Online, nobody sees anything: the draw runs on an algorithm, not a person who might remember a face that hesitated a second too long.
And if someone joins at the last minute, or a participant has to drop out before the family dinner? No need to redo everything by hand — you re-run the draw with one click, and everyone gets a new secret link, with no sign to anyone else that anything changed.
It also solves the classic problem of family scattered between Gatineau, Quebec City, and Florida for the winter: everyone gets their name by email no matter where they are, and nobody needs to be in the room on draw day to take part.
Frequently asked questions
- What exactly is a pige de Noël?
- It's the Quebec name for a group gift draw where each person — family, friends, or coworkers — buys one gift for whoever they draw, instead of a gift for everyone. Elsewhere it's called Secret Santa or Père Noël secret; in Quebec, people just say "pige."
- How does the online draw actually work?
- You add participants' names and emails, set any exclusions (couples, for instance), and run the draw. Each person then gets a secret link by email to the name they drew — the organizer never sees the results, only who's opened their link.
- Is it free to run a pige de Noël?
- Yes, completely free for up to 12 participants, which covers most families and small teams. Beyond that, unlocking unlimited participants is a one-time $5.99 CAD payment, no subscription.
- Can couples be excluded from drawing each other?
- Yes. Adding an exclusion between two participants guarantees they'll never draw each other — handy for couples who'd rather shop for a gift together than end up on each other's list by chance.
- Can the draw be redone if someone drops out?
- Yes, any time before the exchange. Add or remove a participant, then re-run the draw — everyone automatically gets a new secret link, with no need to explain to anyone what changed.