I Tried Happy Giftlist So You Don't Have to Guess This Christmas
Every year it's the same thing. Someone asks what I want for Christmas, my mind goes blank, and I end up saying "oh, anything's fine." Then comes Socks, Deoderant and a Christmas jumper that's two sizes too big.
This year I decided to fix it. I'd heard about Happy Giftlist, a free online wishlist and Secret Santa tool, so I gave it a go. Here's what I found.
Setting it up took minutes
Signing up just needs an email and a password. Then you click "Create Wishlist," give the list a name, a color and start adding things.
The best part is adding gifts. You paste a product link from any online store, and it pulls in the title, photo and price for you. It works with Amazon, Etsy, ASOS, IKEA and small independent shops too. I added a few things I've had my eye on, i even checked, My products appear too, and each one came through with its picture and price. If something isn't online, you can add it by hand. This is something else for that feature alone.
Sharing is easy, and nobody needs an account
When your list is ready you get one link to share. You can send it by text, WhatsApp or email, give people a short code to look it up on the site, or download a QR code to print on a card or invitation.
What sold me is that the people you share it with don't have to sign up for anything!!!! They open the link, see your list, and reserve a gift. No passwords and no "create an account to continue," which matters when half your family won't download anything or can even use a computer for that matter!
No more duplicate gifts
When someone reserves a gift, it's marked as taken for everyone else, so two people can't buy the same thing.
It keeps the surprise too. By default, you can't see what's been reserved or by whom. If you'd rather know, there's a "See reserved gifts" setting you can switch on.
Several people can chip in for a bigger gift
For pricier items you can set up a contribution gift, where several people put money toward the same thing. The list shows how much has been pledged and how much is still needed. That's handy for a big spend item no single person would buy by themselves or for an experience like a trip.
A list for every occasion
You can make as many lists as you like under one account: a Christmas list, a birthday list, a wedding or baby registry, or a general list for whenever something catches your eye. You can also mark a list private, so only people with your link can see it.
Built-in Secret Santa
This is the part I'll actually use for our Fire station gift swap. Add everyone's name and email, set a budget if you want one, and it does the draw and emails each person who they're buying for. People can link their own wishlist to the draw, so whoever picks your name knows what to get. 
It works on your phone
I had a quick play on my phone and it worked fine there too. It works on laptops and tablets too, and there's a Happy Giftlist app for iPhone and Android.
The verdict
For a free tool, Happy Giftlist covers everything I wanted:
- ✅ 100% free, including wishlists, sharing and Secret Santa
- ✅ Add gifts from any shop just by pasting a link
- ✅ No sign-up needed for the people you share with
- ✅ No duplicate gifts, because reserved items are marked
- ✅ Surprises stay surprises, since reservations are hidden by default
- ✅ Group gifting for bigger presents
- ✅ Secret Santa draw with emails sent automatically
- ✅ Private lists if you want them
- ✅ Works on any device, with apps for iPhone and Android
If you're tired of "anything's fine" turning into a pile of things you didn't want, give it a try at: https://happygiftlist.com/
And a small tip from me: if there's a piece from LW Leatherworking you've been eyeing, copy the product link and paste it into your list. Whoever's shopping for you will know exactly which one you mean. 🎁