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Everyone loves a good holiday party, right? Fun music, delicious food and even some competitive games! Just because you and your team are working remotely doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy the holiday festivities. Send your team into the holiday break with their spirits high and their morale boosted. These 60 virtual holiday party ideas will have your team jumping for joy as they sing Christmas carols.
Whether you are planning on celebrating Christmas, Hanukkah, New Years or a giant celebration for all of the holidays, this list of holiday parties will ensure your guests will have a wonderful time celebrating.
Picking a theme for a holiday party can be tough. Everybody wants different themes, so asking everyone’s opinion will help narrow it down. Once a theme is decided, you can then choose games, food and decorations. Giving your guests enough time to pick their decorations, food and clothing will ensure your holiday party will go off without a hitch!
Gingerbread house decorating competitions are a great way for some friendly competition! Send your guests gingerbread houses, along with all of the decorations. Judges can choose which houses they like best, and award prizes to the winners. This competition can be done individually or in teams!
You may not have heard of a Sled Dog Sabotage, but it is an event full of fun! This event is a virtual who did it, with the players working together to solve clues. This is a winter-themed mystery game, and the adorable dogs you’re working with are an added bonus!
Bingo is one of the greatest competition games, as the contestants can feel the tension the longer the game goes on! Free holiday bingo templates are available online, and you can play holiday music in the background as the host calls out numbers. Prizes for the winners can even be holiday themed, such as a hot chocolate basket or cozy blankets.
This game is essentially Never Have I Ever, but in Christmas form! Every player starts by holding up 10 fingers, and they take turns saying “you’re on the naughty list if you..” If a player has done whatever act was said, they put a finger down. Whoever has the most fingers up at the end wins! This game can be played in a holiday version with acts such as “you’re on the naughty list if you have ever re-gifted a present” or “you’re on the naughty list if you have peeked at a Christmas present.”
Everyone enjoys gifts during the holiday season, and sending small gift boxes to your team is a great way to say thank you for all of their hard work over the year. Gift boxes can include things such as hot chocolate, mugs, fuzzy socks, stationary or Christmas cookies. You can gather your team together and open the boxes all at once, and everyone can see what they received!
A holiday party wouldn’t be the same without a Secret Santa! Using a gift exchange generator, you can choose names for each team member. Each team member can send their presents to their Secret Santa, and then when everyone has their presents, get on a video call so everyone can open their gifts. Be sure to set a spending limit, so no one spends more than they need to!
This one-hour event is like 3 events in one! A networking event, a cocktail party and a holiday party are all combined to create one giant bash! Mini games and icebreakers are used to bring the team together and become more comfortable with each other. Round out the event by creating a cocktail together to relax and unwind after some friendly competition.
In order to get your team in the holiday spirit, have them participate in a dress up contest! Ugly holiday sweaters, hats, and even reindeer antlers can all be a part of the costume, and there can even be a prize for the best costume. Dressing up in costume allows your team to relax and be a little silly by getting into the holiday spirit.
Every party, both virtual and in-person, needs music! Especially holiday parties, everyone needs to get in the holiday spirit by listening to classic holiday music. The host can create a playlist, using an online music player such as Spotify or Pandora, and allow guests to add their favorite holiday songs. During the party, as the song plays, the person who chose the song can explain why it is their favorite holiday song.
Using games and team building activities can enhance the camaraderie between team members and colleagues. They can work on things like critical thinking and problem solving, and then take these lessons back into their professional lives after the holiday bash.
Sending an e-card is just as much fun as sending a regular card! Invite your team to use an e-card website such as JibJab, but be sure to allot a budget for each card. Your team members can personalize the cards they send to their colleagues, and even use their team member’s pictures on the cards. These cards can go out to everyone in the office, or just a few close colleagues.
This event is held when the host and participants choose a cheesy Christmas or holiday movie, and discuss the movie on a video call. As they watch the movie, they can chat about what they would do differently if they were in the movie. For example, in Home Alone, if the parents had accurately counted all of their children, they would never have had a child left at home alone.
This party is held virtually for companies who have 100+ employees. The event is 90-minutes long, and can include games, cocktail parties and a gift exchange. An epic holiday party can also be customized to the wants and needs of your employees, letting them choose all of the fun!
Spice up the Christmas carol sing-along by allowing your guests to make up their own Christmas carols! If your guests have a favorite Christmas carol they want to sing, allow them to sing and have everyone join in. They can also give a background story as to why it’s their favorite Christmas song.
Get into the holiday spirit by hosting a holiday happy hour! Hosts of the party can create a cocktail menu, and send out the ingredients to the guests. Once everyone has joined the virtual party, you can begin to make the drinks and taste them once they’re done. If you have guests who don’t drink alcohol, not a problem- there are plenty of delicious mocktails that have ingredients that can be mixed together to make a yummy drink!
Decorating for the holidays is such a fun and exciting time, and nobody should do it alone! Find a website that has a virtual Christmas tree or a fireplace with a mantel, and allow your guests to decorate. If you have many guests, create a calendar and assign guests to decorate on certain days, that way everyone has a chance to decorate.
With people working remotely all over the country, Christmas and the holidays in their city might look different from everyone else. Before your holiday party, instruct your guests to take pictures and videos of the decorations in their town or city. Once the party is in full swing, allow your guests to show off their holiday pictures, and explain how their town typically celebrates the holidays. It will give everyone an insight into their hometown!
Companies have team members from all walks of life, and they may all celebrate different things during the holiday season. If this is the case, be sure to include all of the holidays your team members celebrate, including Christmas, Hanukkah and Kwanzaa. Allowing your guests explain their holiday traditions will let everyone else on the team know a little bit more about their culture and how they celebrate.
Thanks to video conference services like Zoom or Skype, photo booths are much easier to fit everyone in! Team members can join the photo booth with props such as hats, silly glasses or even antlers. These pictures can be emailed to everyone on the team, and even be used on the company holiday card.
Online scavenger hunts can be a great source of fun and competition. Guests can either work by themselves or in teams, and search their house for the items on the scavenger hunt list. Items they need to search for include: a tree topper, an empty tube of wrapping paper and Christmas pajamas. Prizes can be awarded for the team or individual who finds the most items in a certain amount of time.
Winter is a long season, and lasts long after the holidays are over. Hosting a trivia night after the holidays are over and asking questions about the season will help to break up the mundane feeling people get in the winter. Let your guests get comfortable by letting them wear their pajamas, get a cup of hot chocolate and get ready to win some prizes!
The holiday season has endless amounts of trivia questions that can be used for your company trivia night. Asking questions such as “who originally sang Santa Baby?” or “Who is the author of A Christmas Carol?” will allow your guests to put their minds together to win prizes. Plus, you’ll walk away with Christmas knowledge you never knew you needed!
This classic game gets a Christmas twist! Much like the original game Chubby Bunny, players stick marshmallows in their mouth, and try to say a word or phrase. Players can try and explain the plot of a Christmas movie, sing a Christmas carol or try to describe a Christmas decoration. Keep score of who guesses the word or phrase correctly, and whoever has the most correct guesses wins.
This unconventional holiday game allows players to describe a fictional deleted scene from a movie, which might not be considered a Christmas movie, and the other players can guess what movie it is. For example, Die Hard has been at the center of the “is it a Christmas movie” debate for years. Players can describe a made-up scene from that movie, and other players can decide if the scene makes sense within a Christmas setting.
A timeless game gets a holiday spin for players working from home! As everyone is signed onto the party, guests can take turns either humming a holiday song, or even muting themselves and lip syncing the words. Other players can take turns guessing the song from the humming, or even reading the lips of the person singing the song. Keep track of who has the most correct guesses, and the winner receives a prize.
Everyone knows how important cookie decorating is to the holiday season. Companies can mail cookie decorating supplies to each team member’s house, and everyone can log onto the virtual meeting and begin decorating! If you choose to have some competition, have a contest in which you award prizes for the best decorating, most creative and most delicious looking cookie.
There are certain words that everyone hears during the holiday season, so try to avoid them by having a holiday buzzwords virtual party! Before the party begins, make your guests aware of the words that everyone should be avoiding. If anyone says one of the buzzwords, everyone on the team must take a drink of their beverage. If you don’t drink, no worries- enjoy a nice Christmas mocktail while trying to avoid the buzzwords.
Spice up traditional charades by making them Christmas themed! As always, the turn-takers can’t speak or type, and they need to act out the Christmas prompt. Some prompts they may act out are: holiday movies, a Christmas character such as Frosty the Snowman, or even Christmas carols. The use of body language can help team members navigate their way through video calls with clients in the future.
Pictionary is a classic game of drawing a picture of a word and having others try to guess the word. The word can be anything related to the holiday season, and breaking up into two teams can result in one team winning the prize at the end.
The winter chalet is a virtual team building game with holiday games, team building exercises and hot chocolate. These icebreaker games allow your guests to get to know one another on a more personal level, and team members can even share recipes for their favorite hot chocolate recipe.
The end of the year can be stressful for everyone, between Q4 ending and the holiday shopping and parties. In order to get everyone to relax and enjoy themselves, host comedy sessions for your guests! They can work on their improv skills, while trying to make everyone laugh. If your budget allows, you can hire a comedian to help host the event, and give your team members tips and tricks on how to deliver jokes that will land every time.
Escape rooms are growing in popularity as of late, and holiday themed escape rooms can tie in directly with your event. Use clues and work together to find your way out of Santa’s Village. Escape rooms typically have a 60 minute time limit, so be sure to get out of the escape room before the timer goes off.
Everyone has their favorite holiday movies they like to watch, and having a movie marathon with your team will allow everyone to relax and enjoy a quiet night. Allow your guests to attend the movie marathon in their pajamas and slippers, and munch on some delicious movie snacks! During the movie, guests can use the chat portion of the video call to explain why this is their favorite movie.
Cocktail parties are a fun way to unwind and relax with your colleagues. Before the event, come up with some fun, holiday cocktails and send out a shopping list for your guests. They can create the cocktails before the party begins, and guests can mingle with one another as the party goes on. If you have guests that don’t drink, send them a list of mocktail ingredients that will taste great as well!
Magic shows are a fun way to have your team interact with one another and try new things. There are videos on YouTube to show you how to do simple magic tricks, and you can impress one another with your sleight of hand! If your budget allows, you can hire a magician to help with the magic tricks.
Virtual farm visits are a fun way for your guests to interact with animals, and even learn a little more about them. A farmer will take you through the farm and inform you of all the animals that reside on the farm. This is a fun and different way to gather your employees for an event.
Paint nights are very popular, and they can be very easy to host. If there is a team member who is particularly interested in art, have them host the class; they can explain how to paint a picture, all while sipping on beverages. Painting supplies can be shipped to everyone’s house, and the finished product can be kept as the perfect memento!
Every holiday tree needs ornaments, so why not make them yourself! YouTube has dozens of origami videos, and they are really simple. Once you get the hang of folding, you can make many ornaments for yourself, family and friends.
Hot chocolate can come in a variety of flavors, and they are all delicious! When planning your event, look for unique flavors and mail all of the ingredients to your team member’s homes. Flavors may include: white chocolate, caramel, hazelnut and even spicy hot chocolate, and toppings can range from whipped cream, chocolate sauce or crushed candy canes. Combining flavors and finding your favorite flavor will be fun for everyone!
This event can be held in many forms, such as trivia or a bingo night. As the winners pop up, they can choose certain charities or food banks to donate their winnings to. If an individual or team wins a game, they can choose to send bags of dog food to a shelter or donate food to a local food bank. This will make everyone feel good around the holidays!
A dinner party is a classic way for everyone to gather together! As you’re planning your virtual event, plan out a menu and run it by your team members to ensure everyone has no allergies or dietary restrictions. All of the ingredients can be sent to your team member’s homes and they can prepare the meal. Once everyone’s food is done cooking, everyone can sit down together and share a meal, even during the stress of the holiday season!
This game is always tons of fun! Choose a movie and turn the sound off. From there, allow your guests to dub in their own lines for each character’s lines. Take turns portraying each character, and let each team member have a turn dubbing funny lines for each character.
Wine tastings are a fun way to try some great wines while relaxing with your colleagues. Choose between 3 to 4 bottles of wine and try small samples, all while listening to the production of how the wine is made. Be sure to include both red, white and blush wines, so everyone will be able to sample something they enjoy!
Everyone is typically stressed during the holidays, between the shopping, wrapping and parties. Taking time to focus on yourself will help you re-center during this busy time of year. Using techniques like meditation and yoga during your event will keep you relaxed and focused as you finish up the holiday season.
Sending e-gifts to your co-workers will show how much you truly care about them. E-gifts can be as simple as a gift card to their favorite coffee shop or a subscription to their favorite streaming service. This will also make your shopping list a lot easier, since E-gifts can be purchased right online and sent to the recipient’s email!
Everyone has different traditions of celebrating the holidays. During your holiday event, allow the guests to show pictures and videos of their favorite tradition and tell their colleagues how that tradition came about. Who knows, maybe your colleagues will even adopt one of your traditions for themselves and their family!
Celebrate your hard year with a fun and relaxing dance party! Your team can add their favorite songs to a playlist, and during your event, play the mix and let everyone cut loose in their living room. If your team is up for it, the dance party can even turn into a karaoke session!
Recipes have been exchanged between colleagues for many years! They allow you to share your favorite family recipes as well as gain new recipes. An easy way to have these recipes in one place is creating a document like a Google Doc and give access to everyone so they can add their recipe.
Mostly everyone in your office has children and/or pets, and seeing them dressed up for the holidays will be an adorable way to share your family! Kids are often unpredictable, and dressing them up and taking videos of them unprompted to show your colleagues will be a sure way to get your colleagues to laugh!
You and your team worked hard over the year, and they deserve to be celebrated. During your virtual holiday event, take turns to toast your team either as a whole, or individually. Call out specific colleagues or any highlights from the last year; this way everyone will feel appreciated after all of their hard work!
Creating a story one line at a time is a fun way to create a silly story! Assign each colleague a number, and start the story off, one line at a time. As a number is called out, the person assigned to that number tells a new line of the story. The story can go in any direction and that is what makes it fun.
Wreaths can be hung on anyone’s door for any holiday. Choose a wreath that you think most people will like, and send the necessary supplies right to your co-worker’s house. Providing step by step instructions will help your team make the most beautiful wreath.
Like holiday traditions, everyone has different Christmas trees. During your holiday event, allow your team to show off their Christmas trees where they can show any favorite ornaments, tree toppers, or presents that might already be under the tree.
Karaoke is such a fun way for everyone to relax and let loose. There are online karaoke platforms with thousands of songs to choose from. Team members can sing a solo or get a group together and belt out their favorite songs!
Pub quizzes can be customized to fit the theme of your party. During your holiday event, be sure to include questions about the holidays; you can add in questions regarding holiday movies, songs, food and even decorations. Team members can break up into small teams and create group names, and whoever has the most points at the end wins.
Live casino dealers can be used for your virtual casino night. You can have casino tables and card games, and play for real money. Make it fun by having your team dress up in their best holiday attire, and even have a prize for best dressed!
Painting parties have become very popular over the years! All of the art supplies can be sent to your team’s home, and the host can explain every step as they go along with the painting. The final result will be a beautiful painting that you can be proud of!
Your co-workers may have a talent that you had no idea about! By hosting a talent show and allowing them to showcase their hidden talents, you can learn a lot more about one another. Some might be able to juggle, others might be able to sing beautifully! You can even have prizes for the winners.
During the holiday season, it might be hard to get into the spirit. Encourage your employees to dress up in their best holiday outfits, including ugly Christmas sweaters, Santa hats or reindeer antlers! These people can serve as your holiday mascots throughout the holiday season, cheering their team on as they finish the work year strong.
Planning a virtual holiday party is very much like planning an in-person party! The only difference is you need to find a virtual platform to host your party on. In order to successfully pull off a fun and engaging virtual holiday event, follow these 7 steps.
Holiday events can be just your team, or it can be the whole company! Depending on what route you take, be sure to have the correct email address of everyone you’re inviting. Once you have the guest list made, you can then start to send out invitations.
Once you have your virtual holiday event date set and planned, now comes the fun part: choosing the games or events you want to host! Games may include bingo, the naughty list or sled dog sabotage. Sending out the rules for the game before the event begins will ensure everyone will know how to play the games. Prizes can be awarded for the winners of all the games.
Nowadays, thanks to the pandemic, there are several video conferencing services to choose from. Services like Zoom or Skype can host your entire team at once, and even give your team the ability to break out into smaller group sessions. Choose which service works best for your team.
As we have all seen over the past 2 years, there can be difficulties that come with working on a video conference service. Before the virtual holiday event begins, have a few people join the call to test the microphones and cameras. If there is an error that arises, try to combat the error before the rest of the team joins.
Now that you have the correct email address for everyone on your team, you can send out the invitations! Sending a virtual invitation with enough notice will ensure your team can get the event on their calendar. Be sure to include all of the necessary information regarding the event on the invitation.
Truly get into the festivities by wearing your best holiday costume; dress up like Santa Claus, the Grinch or even a reindeer! Getting into the holiday spirit will relax you, as well as even put a smile on everyone else’s face.
As previously discussed, the holidays are a stressful time of year for everyone. People can become forgetful, which is understandable. Be sure to send out reminders regarding the holiday event which can be done in the days leading up to the event or even the morning of.
Virtual holiday parties are the best way to gather for your holiday bash with co-workers who work remotely! While some people have moved to working from home permanently, they usually don’t see the employees working in the office. Your virtual holiday party can have a theme, games and even food and drink! Plan this party like you would any other party and you are sure to have a successful event.
Holiday parties are important for many reasons. Everyone within the company works so hard throughout the year, and a fun party at the end of the year is a great reward. These parties allow your team members to relax and have a good time with their colleagues, in the comfort of their own home. Team members can get a glimpse into everyone’s home during the holidays.
Virtual holiday parties are unique because everyone is at home in their comfort space! If you feel the need to, you can show off your home to your co-workers, and take them through your space. You can even introduce your team to your family or pets, something that you can’t do in the office! It brings everyone a bit closer together during the lovely time of the holidays.
The best virtual holiday party ideas are the ones where everyone comes together! Team members can work together to solve a problem or even sing karaoke together. If you want everyone to relax and unwind, having an event like wine tasting or a paint party allows everyone to be comfortable. Whatever event you choose, you can be sure that your team members will enjoy themselves during the party!
Your event doesn’t need to be large and extravagant, it can be simple and still be tons of fun. Something as simple as singing Christmas carols or watching a Christmas movie can have everyone be relaxed and comfortable. The main goal of the party is to have everyone gathered together, to celebrate the holidays, and all you need is an event to bring everyone together.
Just because your event is small doesn’t mean you can’t have a great time! Virtual holiday parties for small companies can be a gift exchange or a Secret Santa, as there aren’t as many people to open gifts. You may also play games such as bingo or holiday movie pictionary, and everyone can play as an individual.
Large companies can have a great time at their holiday party, even if they have many employees! Ideas for these parties can include watching a holiday movie together, sending out e-cards to everyone or making your own Christmas ornaments. With the use of a virtual event platform, you can even break out into smaller groups so the group isn’t quite as large.
There is no limit as to how many people can attend your virtual holiday party. Be sure to send out invitations to everyone who works at the company, and add an RSVP date. After the RSVP date passes, you can determine how many people will be attending and you can further plan your event from there. The more people, the merrier!
Depending on what type of virtual holiday you want to have, the costs can vary. An event as simple as watching a holiday movie while drinking hot chocolate isn’t going to cost the same as a painting party or making your own wreath. It all depends on your budget- if you have a higher budget for your holiday party, you are able to make the event more extravagant. If you have a smaller budget, you can still have a fun and fabulous party.
Everyone loves a good holiday party! It allows everyone to come together and relax, all while celebrating the accomplishments of the past year. Holiday parties done on a virtual event platform are a fun way to celebrate while everyone is at home, in their comfort zone. Employees can show off their holiday decorations, families and even their pets. Once everyone gathers together and the party begins, you can relax knowing that you planned a great party that everyone will enjoy.
Falguni is an MBA graduate and a Business Development Professional turned Content Marketer. She has experience working in Tourism and Event industries. She is passionate about writing various types of content, from quotes, epigrams, micropoetry and short stories to long-form content on Branding, Digital Marketing and Event Technology. Having spent her life living in different parts of the world, she is always fascinated by travelling, meeting new people and learning about their cultures. Connect with her on <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/falguni-jain/"> LinkedIn</a>.
