Virtual Holiday Party Ideas to Keep You Connected No Matter What

Virtual Holiday Party Ideas

Any of the ideas below can be used for any holiday you feel inclined to celebrate, whether it’s one of the big traditional ones or one of the small ones you’ve never even heard of before.

1. Virtual White Elephant Gift Swap

A holiday gift exchange is an exciting change of pace, but it’s best not to burden anyone financially right now. Give each employee a $10 holiday gift card and the mailing address of who they are buying to send gifts directly to the intended recipients. You could even provide a little inspiration by setting a holiday theme for the swap—perhaps a book or cookbook swap or desk upgrades. Then, have everyone unwrap their presents together.

2. Ask Everyone to Dress Up

Looking for some Zoom holiday party ideas to make your video calls extra special? Why not ask everyone to dress up in holiday-related outfits. This will vary depending on what holiday you celebrate, of course. Those celebrating Christmas could opt for reindeer antlers, red noses, Santa hats, elf ears or something a little more out-of-the-box. This idea is guaranteed to get a laugh out of everyone, plus you can give out a virtual prize to the family member with the best costume to raise the stakes!

3. Decorate Gingerbread Cookies

For many families, decorating gingerbread cookies is a beloved and longstanding tradition. Thankfully, physical distance doesn’t have to get in the way of that! Everyone can decorate their cookies while chatting with family over Zoom. Then you can ask everyone to reveal their artwork after a set amount of time.

If you want to be the ultimate host, you can create gingerbread decorating kits to send out to your family before the Zoom call. These kits could contain a few gingerbread cookies, some mini tubes of frosting and some little candies.

4. Challenge Everyone to Holiday Trivia

Another great virtual holiday idea is to host a game of online trivia. First, divide your loved ones into smaller teams and ask them to come up with holiday-themed team names (“Santa’s Reindeer,” “The Grinches,” etc.).

Ask them several trivia questions to test their holiday knowledge. Then give them a few minutes to discuss in private chat windows before collecting their answers. This fun, competitive game is sure to get everyone feeling excited and engaged.

5. Play Some Online Party Games

In need of some low-effort virtual holiday party games? There are plenty of games you can play with your family online! There are websites you can use to play board games together, which you can use while talking over Zoom, Discord or a similar platform. Check out games like Virtual Holiday Hijinks and The Escape Game Game Show.

You can also play games together by purchasing a Jackbox Party Pack. Once one person purchases the game, they can load it up and stream it over a platform like Discord. All everyone else needs to participate is a phone and an internet connection!

Wrapping Up

Some of the best advice for making a virtual holiday party fun is to include interactive activities such as holiday icebreakers, festive remote games, and crowdsourced holiday playlists and photo slideshows.

Whether it’s with friends, family or colleagues, you can still embrace the holiday spirit and spread Christmas cheer by filling your virtual party with seasonally appropriate decorations and activities.