The economy is in the crapper, but that doesn’t mean your Christmas should be too. A great idea for saving money is to do a Secret Santa with your family. Instead of everybody getting each other gifts, limit it to just one gift for one other person for whom you will be their Secret Santa.

So, it’s not a new idea, but there is a site that makes it a whole lot easier! Elfster.com is a free service that allows all of your family members to join and the names will automagically be paired up with another family member. Each person can create a wish list that their Secret Santa can refer to so each person is sure to get what they want, without breaking the bank.

A Secret Santa is also a good idea to introduce for another important reason. Assume you have a family member who really cannot afford to do the normal holiday giving, but is too proud to say something. As long as there is a limit agreed upon and everyone signs on to the Secret Santa idea, the family can still experience the joy of giving and the money strapped relative can save face.

Part of my family has done the Secret Santa thing for years, and another part is fairly new to the idea, but uses Elfster.com, which makes it much easier than hand drawing names from a hat.