🎄 Jingle Matcher ev1

Welcome to the second version of my first game project — a more polished, more intuitive Secret Santa experience built in Python and Pygame.

The story behind this version

This started as a simple idea: make Secret Santa fair and more fun than a paper slip in a hat. My first version was a learning experiment, and I learned a lot from it. For this version, I rewrote the whole structure, cleaned up the code, and moved the game into a proper scene-based design.

I kept the core spirit: a joyful Christmas-themed matching game. But now it feels more complete and user-friendly, with smoother screen handling and a more Christian-inspired holiday look.

What’s improved in ev1

• Better code structure using classes and scenes
• Cleaner separation between Homepage, Roster, Matchpage, and HoHoHo screens
• More intuitive UI and input fields
• Responsive window resizing and fullscreen support
• Better object-oriented design and reusable functions
• More polished Christmas / Christian theme with dedicated backgrounds and buttons
• Improved player entry flow and match reveal animation

What this game does

Jingle Matcher ev1 lets you:

• Add participant names one by one
• Show a scrolling roster of names
• Prevent duplicate entries and keep input clean
• Generate random Secret Santa pairings where no one gets themselves
• Reveal matches one at a time with animated panels
• Finish with a celebratory screen and replay/exit options

How to run it

Prerequisites

• Python 3.7+ installed
• pygame library installed

Install Pygame:

pip install pygame

Start the game

From the JINGLE_MATCHER_ev1 folder, run:

python main.py

Controls

• F11 to toggle fullscreen mode
• Type names using keyboard letters and space
• Press Enter to add each name
• Click the play/match button to generate pairings
• Click the next reveal button to see the next assignment
• Use the final screen buttons to exit or replay

Project structure

• main.py — game entry point
• game.py — main game loop and scene manager
• util.py — resource path helper for assets
• scenes/ — UI screens and visuals
  • Homepage.py
  • Roster.py
  • Matchpage.py
  • HoHoHo.py
• scenes/resources/ — fonts and images used by the game

Design notes

This version is a stronger second attempt. I kept the holiday feel, but moved from a rough first draft to a game that feels like a proper project:

• more organized code
• better flow between screens
• improved user feedback
• a nicer festive atmosphere

If you want, I can also help add a proper settings screen, better audio, or a save/load participant list feature next.

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Made by a first-time game creator who learned OOP, Pygame, and how to make holiday matching feel fun.