Scrooge rules

Households

Put two or more people in a household and none of them will draw each other. A household also won't end up buying only for one other household, because then the two could work out who has who by comparing notes. A couple is a household of two.

Example. Ann and Bob live together, and so do Carol and Dan. With a household rule for each couple, nobody draws their partner, and Ann and Bob can't end up buying for Carol and Dan between them.

It's one rule per household, so a family of 10 in 5 couples is 5 rules.

X can't get Y

Stops one person drawing another. It only works one way, so add it twice if neither should draw the other.

Example. Priya and Tom fell out over last year's present. "Priya can't get Tom" keeps them apart and leaves everyone else alone.

X must get Y

Fixes one pairing and shuffles everyone else around it.

Example. The office has agreed Dave should have Priya, who's hard to shop for. "Dave must get Priya" and the rest is random.

No reciprocal pairs

One switch for the whole draw: nobody ends up buying for the person who's buying for them. Without it, Alex could draw Jo while Jo draws Alex, which tends to give the game away when the presents come out.

Fresh pairings

For draws started from a saved group. Nobody gets someone they've had in any previous draw from that group, not just last year's.

Example. The family has used the same group for three Christmases. With fresh pairings on, nobody buys for the same person they had in either of the last two.

Using several

Add as many as you need. With a small group and lots of rules there may be no way to satisfy them all. If so, you're told before you send and nothing is charged.