Questions and answers
Draws
Is the Secret Santa generator free?
Yes. Free Lottie Draw and the plain private draw card are free. Reveals on a draw need a free account (sign in). The Christmas animated scenes are the premium video.
How do people get their match?
Lottie emails each person only their own match. You can also share a private link per person, or show the draw on one screen.
Can everyone get their own secret?
Yes. On Free Lottie Draw, each person can get only their own draw as a cozy card by email or on a phone. The premium Christmas reveal is one order of animated scenes: share every match, or keep each draw private, for the organizer or the whole group. Same per-person price either way.
Can the organizer be surprised too?
Yes. Leave Surprise me too on when we draw the names. Even the organizer gets surprised: we do the draw for you, so you find out who has who at the same moment as everyone else, when you all watch together. The pairs stay off this site, the confirmation page, and your emails. If you already drew the names somewhere else, choose I have the pairs and type them in.
Do you need full names?
No. First names are enough. Add a last name or initial when your event needs it, like a big group or two people with the same first name. If a full name won't fit a scene, Lottie uses the first name and initial, or the builder greys that scene out for full names. When the reveal goes to the whole group, we ask for each person's email.
Two people have the same name. What do I do?
Add a last name or initial to each of them, like Sam R. and Sam T. Lottie checks every list for repeated names as you type, so nobody is confused about who is who.
How many free Lottie reveals do I get?
Every draw is free and unlimited, for any size group. Lottie's animated reveal includes 30 free reveals each calendar month with a free sign-in, one per person, and a Premium Event or $14.99/yr makes it unlimited. A draw never starts a reveal it can't finish. Lottie never pairs a giver with a recipient on her own. Other videos and draws are listed on What should Lottie make next?
What counts as one event?
One event is one draw for one group, for example "the Smith family Secret Santa 2026". Any draw type, any group size. A Premium Event lasts a year, and a reveal video order for that event includes its Premium Event.
Do bigger groups cost more?
Draws and Premium: no. The draw is free for any size group, and a Premium Event is $5.99 whether you have 4 people or 400. Themed reveal videos are $6.99 + $1 per person, so 4 people is $10.99 (the Premium Event is included).
Reveal videos
What's a reveal video?
Each match gets its own cozy animated scene with the name in it, for TV and phone. $6.99 + $1 per person, Premium Event included.
What arrives with a reveal video?
A TV version (16:9, 1920×1080) and a phone version (9:16, 1080×1920). Each person gets a charming animated scene with the recipient's name. Every match gets its own cozy scene from our collection. Draw the names for free first; the pairs can stay a surprise until you press play.
Lottie reveal or themed reveal video?
Lottie reveal (free): Lottie the owl reveals each person's match. 30 a month free with a free sign-in; no cap with a Premium Event or Lottie Plus. Themed reveal video (add-on, price based on group size): Seasonal scenes with each name in them, $6.99 + $1 per person. Includes a Premium Event.
What do the scenes feel like?
Scenes are cozy, charming, and cute, with playful ones mixed in.
Will any scenes repeat?
Only if your group is bigger than that season's scene library. Then some scenes repeat, but each video still has its own names. Lottie spreads repeats evenly: no scene is used twice until every scene has been used once, and nobody gets the same scene as the person they drew. New scenes are added all the time.
What if the group is very large?
There is no group-size cap: each person adds $1.00. Scenes stay the full clips, about 10 seconds, including large orders. Every group size is delivered when you choose.
Orders, fixes and refunds
When does the video arrive?
Personalized videos are coming soon. Once ordering opens, it arrives when you choose. On the order, choose “As soon as it's ready” (usually about 15 minutes, always within 24 hours) or a date and time up to your event date. We make it right away, check it, and send it at that time. We email a private watch link when both versions are ready, and the link is on your order page too.
Can I change my order after paying?
Yes, for 5 minutes after checkout: fix names and spellings or change scenes from the link on your order page or in the confirmation email. Lottie starts making the video when the 5 minutes are up, or right away if you tap “Looks good, start now”.
Is every video checked?
Yes. Lottie checks every video before it's sent: each name is spelled the way you typed it and fits clearly in its scene, and both the TV and phone versions are there. If a check fails, the video is made again automatically.
What if my video is late?
It's rare: videos are made right after the edit window and retried automatically if anything fails. If one is still late, we email you an apology and a $5 credit automatically, and you can ask for a refund under our refund policy instead.
Where is my video link?
It's in the email we sent when your video was ready (check spam and promotions too). On the Support page, choose your order, or type the order number and the email on the order, to open the video or its status page.
How long does the watch link last?
30 days. After that the video files are deleted. The same page can ask for a new link with the email on the order.
Something is wrong in my video. Can you fix it?
Yes. On the Support page choose Fix my video and tell Lottie exactly what's wrong and whose part it is. If it's our mistake, we fix it as many times as it takes and make it right with a refund. If the name was misspelled in your order form, one free correction per order for typos in your form; after that a typo fix is the normal per-clip price ($1 per person).
Can I get a refund?
Draws are free. For a video, if something is our mistake we fix it and refund what's fair, often with a credit to try again. Write to Lottie from the Support page with your order, and see the refund policy for the details.
Credit, Plus and referrals
How does credit work?
Promo credit (Plus, referral and other promo credit) can pay for a whole PREMIUM event or a whole Lottie Plus year. On a personalized video it pays up to 50%, rounded up to the cent (a $10.99 video gets $5.50 off): custom videos take real computing power to make, so credit can't cover the whole thing. It doesn't pay rush fees. Refund credit is your own money: it never expires and can cover 100% of anything. Promo credit expires 12 months after it is earned, and we email you before it does.
Halloween
How does Boo'd work?
One household leaves a treat bag on a neighbor's doorstep with a note, then hangs the 'We've been Boo'd' sign so nobody Boos them twice. They pass it on to two more houses, and it spreads down the street. The door sign and treat tags print free. Chain tracking, where Lottie invites every household and follows the chain, is coming soon.
Is it scary?
No. Everything is PG and cute: firefighter Lottie, autumn leaves and glowing pumpkins. Nothing gory or jumpy, so it works for kids, classrooms and the office.
Still stuck? Write to Lottie · What should Lottie make next?