What an exclusion is
An exclusion is a pair of people who must not draw each other. Typical examples are partners, parents and children who live together, or two people who already exchange gifts on their own. In this tool, a line such as "Maya + Jordan" blocks both directions, so Maya will not draw Jordan and Jordan will not draw Maya.
How to write them
Use the exact names from your list; capital letters do not matter. One line is one pair, or a small group if you add more names with plus signs. Every name must also appear in the participants box, so the tool can tell you if a name is misspelled.
- Maya + Jordan keeps two people apart.
- Ana + Ben + Cy keeps all three apart from each other.
- Add a line for each couple or household.
Why a draw can be impossible
Every person must give exactly one gift and receive exactly one gift. Exclusions remove choices, and sometimes too many are removed. With three people, excluding any one pair is already enough to make the draw impossible, because each of the two people in that pair would have only one remaining person to buy for.
A single person can also be left with nobody. If someone is excluded from everyone else, nobody is left for them to draw.
What the tool does
It first checks whether any valid draw exists. If one does, it searches for it at random. If none exists, it says so plainly instead of repeating the search. Remove or loosen an exclusion and draw again.
Ways to fix an impossible draw
Drop an exclusion for people who do not mind drawing each other. Add more participants, since a bigger group gives each person more choices. Or split the group into two draws, for example one per household. Keep couples apart only when it matters, and the draw will usually work.
Have a correction or a suggestion? Tell the studio.