The holidays are fast approaching and though some of the people on your team may be far away, there’s still a lot of ways to celebrate and spend time together. Take advantage of video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Webex, Microsoft Teams, and Google Meet, among many others to have a virtual party with your team.
Just as you would with an average party, it’s also important to plan the online get together ahead of time. You need to choose the theme, activities, and games that best fit your teammates’ personalities and preferences. The holiday season can get pretty hectic so it’s the perfect time to relax with your colleagues and look back and celebrate the year that was.
Check out our list of virtual holiday party ideas and get ready for some Christmas fun!
1. Ski Chalet
Have your team feel like you’re all together in a cozy ski lodge where it’s snowing outside and everyone is huddled by the fireplace to keep themselves warm. You can recreate just that by having your own ski chalet party. Surprise them with a holiday themed hot chocolate kit package so you can all feel like you’re actually together drinking the same hot drink that feels like a hug with every sip. Check in to the virtual ski lodge and meet your ski instructor who can help you facilitate the rest of your stay. Get comfy, make some hot chocolate, play some games, and talk about winter monsters.
2. Silent Night Charades
Give this classic game a holiday twist! Put your team’s communication and teamwork skills to the test. The chosen player is given a holiday-related prompt then they pantomime the word or phrase to the other players. Players of the same team try to guess the prompt and earn a point for every correct guess. The teams can get competitive and try to earn as many points as possible to beat their opponents. Act out Christmas carols and songs, holiday movies, and seasonal traditions and characters. There’s a lot to choose from so have fun with it. This is also an opportunity for your team to learn how to read each other’s body language.
3. Virtual Secret Santa
Getting and giving a little something from the people in your life is what makes the holiday season special. Don’t let the distance stop you from exchanging gifts with your colleagues! Assign the names through a gift exchange generator, send presents to each other, and open them together at your online party. To make it more fun, you can choose a theme to follow or create wish lists with a maximum amount for budget purposes. This activity allows the team to show their appreciation for each other through material gifts. To ensure anonymity, the team can agree to use the team leader’s address as the return address.
4. Holiday Buzzwords
The holiday season is that special time of the year and some words that are constantly used during this time, you don’t actually use or hear for the rest of the year. Some examples are elf, snowman, Santa, etc. Take note of these seasonal buzzwords and use them for your online get-together. At the beginning of your virtual party, each member is asked to select a term from a list of holiday buzzwords. Every time that word is used in the call, the participant assigned will have to take a drink upon hearing the word. If they choose not to drink, the members can assign a command for them to do when they hear the word.
5. Chubby Elf
Tell your members to brush up on their Christmas story expertise because this game requires some storytelling and a lot of marshmallows! This is played like the game Chubby Bunny wherein a player inserts a marshmallow into their mouth and they are not allowed to chew or swallow the marshmallow. Then, they will proceed to recite the plot of a classic Christmas story and their teammates will try to guess as quickly as possible. Each level gets more and more difficult as the amount of marshmallows increases. Good luck trying to figure out what the storyteller is trying to say with a mouth full of marshmallows!
6. Christmas Time in the City
Get to know each member of your team a little more by learning all about their hometown holiday traditions. This is perfect if your team is scattered over different cities and countries as people celebrate Christmas in different ways all around the world. Ask your members to create a short presentation on how they celebrate the holidays. They can compile photos and videos of holiday food, traditions, as well as a virtual tour of their city. Everyone gets to travel and experience the holidays in different places with a local tour guide from the confines of their own home.
