In Guatemala it's called amigo secreto, and the game doesn't change. The calendar does: the Burning of the Devil on the 7th, posadas from the 16th to the 24th, Christmas Eve with tamales, and an aguinaldo paid in two halves.
The Guatemalan calendar
Draw with the first half of the aguinaldo
By law, half the aguinaldo is paid in the first half of December and the other half in the second half of January. If you draw in early December, everyone knows who they're buying for when that first half arrives.
The Burning of the Devil, to announce it
On December 7 at six in the evening, cardboard devils are burned outside homes. It's a good date to announce the draw in the group: it leaves more than a week before the posadas.
The office posada
Many offices hold their convivio or posada between the 16th and the 24th, and that's when gifts are exchanged. Put the limit in quetzales in the invitation so nobody has to ask.
Families, at midnight on the 24th
Families open gifts at midnight on the 24th, with tamales, ponche and firecrackers. If the family amigo secreto is that night, have the gifts under the nativity scene before dinner.
With family in the US
If a relative lives in the US, decide early whether their gift gets shipped or bought in Guatemala with money they send. A money transfer moves faster than a parcel in December.
Set up your amigo secreto
No account, nothing to install, free. Enter the names, the limit in quetzales and the date, share one link, and each person sees only who they drew.
