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36 Un-“fir"-gettable Virtual Holiday Party Ideas

‘Tis the season for team building! This year, make your virtual holiday party extra special with these fun and festive ideas. Here we’ll take you through the start-to-finish process of planning a party fit for the most wonderful time of year!

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1. The Escape Game Game Show

Bring the nostalgia and excitement of a game show to your virtual holiday party with The Escape Game Game Show! Participants solve fast-paced puzzles, collaborate on mini-games, and share many, many laughs in this hilarious holiday experience!

The Escape Game Game Show is perfect for remote and hybrid teams needing connection and a quick morale boost. Playing through rounds like Phrase Craze and Puzzle Pyramid brings out creativity and connection between team members.

The event doesn’t require your team to be tech-savvy or to learn elaborate rules. Set-up is easy and the game is fun for everyone! This unique activity lasts for one entertaining hour and can accommodate between 10-150 players. There is also a holiday version!

2. Holiday Charades

Charades is always a fun game, even with a remote team! Watching as colleagues ridiculously mime various scenarios never gets old.

To play, designate one party guest as the game lead. Whenever it’s a player’s turn, the game lead privately chats them a charade prompt.

Then, that player acts out the prompt for the group! Feel free to break the group into smaller

teams for an extra competitive edge. You can find holiday-themed prompts here, but below are a few examples to get you started!

•Rudolph leading Santa’s sleigh

•Opening a present you don’t like

•Santa coming down the chimney

•Building an igloo

•Ice skating 

3. Virtual Escape Room

Keep the team on their toes with an action-packed virtual escape room. The Escape Game’s Remote Adventures are real escape rooms you can play from your home or office over Zoom! All games are live and hosted by Game Guides, which serve as the team’s hands and feet inside the room.

Virtual escape rooms are great holiday party options because they can accommodate teams of various sizes, take only 60 minutes or less to complete and are inherently fun.

Many employees assume that an online activity won’t be enjoyable or engaging. Prove them wrong by taking your team to play a Remote Adventure! Discovering clues, collaborating on puzzles and escaping together will definitely be an un-fir-gettable team building experience!

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4. Online Team Building Game

Read to bring a competitive edge to the party? If your team is motivated by a “win,” try Unlocked For Teams as a party idea! Unlocked for Teams is the ultimate team building competition.

Groups are split into teams of seven to eight “secret agents” all working together to solve a crime as quickly as possible. While they work, they’re also competing against other teams for the ultimate prize—office bragging rights. The first team to complete their mission wins!

Events can take place any day, at any time. It’s challenging, thrilling, bonding, incredibly fun and best of all: It’s really easy to book.

5. Virtual Murder Mystery Party

murder mystery party may seem like a pretty dark Christmas activity that’s better suited for the spooky season surrounding Halloween. But there are actually holiday-themed murder mystery events!

In a virtual murder mystery party, teams play characters, analyze clues and deduce who the killer among them is! Hosted murder mystery events often also feature an eccentric host who keeps players engaged with the story! Check out Ho Ho Homicide or O Holy Fright for some exciting adventures filled with kooky characters, surprising twists and deadly consequences.

6. Winter Wonderland Trivia

Trivia games are nothing new, but a holiday-themed twist can give the activity new life! Depending on your team and their preferred difficulty level, trivia questions can be simple general knowledge questions or challenging and obscure facts.

To keep things competitive, break into teams! However, to keep things fun and engaging, include prizes like gift cards to favorite stores or restaurants. It is the season of giving after all!

You can host your trivia game on platforms like Kahoot! or just ask questions and keep score out loud. 

7. Virtual Karaoke

If you’ve got a team of bold, outgoing characters, karaoke is definitely something you should include in your virtual holiday party! Of course, you can always blast Christmas tunes and have people sing along.

However, if you’d prefer something with a bit more structure, you can enjoy an online hosted karaoke club! With Kabloom!, they’ll take care of the technical logistics and include an energetic host who keeps the party moving.

To stick with the holiday theme, have individuals sing classic Christmas tunes! Annual crowd-pleasers include “All I Want For Christmas Is You,” “Baby, It’s Cold Outside,” “Last Christmas” and “The Christmas Song.”

8. Name That (Holiday) Tune

Sticking to the song theme, Name That Tune, is an easy and exciting game to enjoy as a team. This is an awesome alternative to karaoke if your team loves music but isn’t keen to sing in front of each other.

To play Name That Tune, have one person serve as DJ on the party’s video call. Then, have them play the first few seconds of a popular holiday season song. The first person to type the correct name of that song into the group’s chatbox wins! Your fingers will have to fly if you want to score those points!

9. Christmas Mad Libs

Mad Libs is a classic childhood game that can be easily transferred to a virtual platform. To play, email or send out a few Mad Libs sheets to the team. Then, have everyone fill them out and share their silly stories.

The funniest Mad Libs are often the ones that make the least amount of sense, so it’s a great way for team members to let out their goofy, creative sides together! Check out some holiday party-themed Mad Libs versions here.

 10. Holiday Mafia

Someone’s been up to “snow” good! How well can you really trust your teammates? First, designate a team member as the narrator. Their job is to randomly assign people a role in the game, privately message them that role and then narrate the events of the game. The best person for this position is one who can be silly and come up with an elaborate story on the fly.

To make things holiday-themed, get creative with the characters! Try replacing Mafia members with “evil elves”; the “doctor” with “Mrs. Claus”; and the “detective” with “Rudolph.” There are plenty of options for a silly and themed game! Here is an in-depth guide on how to play Mafia.

11. Drawing Challenge

Maybe your team doesn’t have good artists, but that makes this game even better! Using online drawing platforms, employees can draw hilarious depictions of holiday objects, like presents or snowmen, while teammates try to figure out what in the world those scribbles are supposed to be!

Depending on your team size, this game can be played as a whole group activity or with smaller groups competing for points against each other! It all comes down to what type of activity you’d prefer!

12. Christmas Cookies Quiz

Keep things light and test your cookie knowledge with this fun quiz! If the actual challenge feels too simple, up the ante by having team members race to complete the quiz first. Afterward, you can offer small, easily shippable rewards like gift cards for those who finish first!

13. Christmas Movie

Christmas movies are a quintessential part of the holiday season. With Watch Party, teams can watch a holiday movie together and chat on screen! This is the perfect way to end a party if you’ve sent the team a snack box beforehand. Popular group movie options include It’s A Wonderful Life, Home Alone, Elf and The Santa Claus.

To make things more personal, invite team members to watch along with their families or pets. Have a “happy hour” beforehand with snacks and hot chocolate drinks where people can meet and greet together. Then watch a film together!

14. Santa Cameo

What if Santa made an appearance at your virtual holiday party? It can happen! With Hire Santa, you can have Saint Nick himself get in on the party action.

Now, what he does while there is up to you! Maybe have him do a dramatic reading of a classic Christmas tale or play a holiday game with the team. Either way, a surprise visit from Santa will likely be the highlight of the party for your team!

15. Wreath Making

Making wreaths, listening to holiday music and sharing stories sounds like a relaxing and enjoyable holiday party! Take a wreath-making class and give teammates a unique gift to put on their door once the event is over! While crafting your wreaths, have everyone share their holiday traditions!

There are numerous virtual wreath-making classes to choose from that utilize different materials, so you can take your pick on which type might best suit your team.

An activity like this is great for more crafty teams or those who prefer non-competitive opportunities to spend time together. For an extra dose of fun, team members can share a picture of their wreaths on their front doors! 

16. Ornament Making

Similar to wreath making, crafting elaborate ornaments gives team members a unique object to keep afterward! You can send out kits with blank ornaments, paints and jewels for team members to use.

If you’d like to expedite the process, check out these winter class sessions from the Timken Museum here! These classes include a host, kits with premium fabric materials, a custom-curated color palette of ornament materials and even a holiday drink recipe!

Make sure you ask everyone to share a pic of their ornament on their Christmas tree or wherever they have it displayed in their home!

17. Virtual Secret Santa

One of the most enjoyable parts of the holiday season is presents and gift exchanges! It doesn’t matter how old you are, we all love the feeling of tearing into some wrapping paper or watching the gleeful expression of someone who just opened a gift we got them.

Have teammates fill out a preferences sheet like this one at least a month before the party. This helps ensure everyone receives gifts they’ll like. After that, randomly dole out Secret Santa assignments. You should also make sure to set a dollar limit on gifts so that all gifts are within the same price range!

During the party, have guests guess who their Secret Santa is and open presents on camera for everyone to see!

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18. One Good Thing

For an activity that requires zero planning and will give everyone the warm fuzzies, have team members share one good thing that happened to them this year! Something small, but sentimental can have a lasting, unifying effect on team members.

It’s also a good habit to practice gratitude, especially together as a team! You can expand this activity in several ways:

●      Narrow down the question to focus on December.

●       Ask team members what “one good thing” they want to do for someone else before the end of the year.

●       Ask what unexpected “one good thing” has someone else ever done for each team member. 

19. Make Christmas Cards

Despite the customary cheer that accompanies the winter holiday season, this time of year can often be a lonely time for some people. Why not create cards for those who may appreciate encouragement or acknowledgment, such as veterans, soldiers, or individuals in nursing homes and the hospital?

There are numerous ways to send out handmade cards. The easiest solutions are often to connect with organizations, hospitals, charities or churches on a personal level by reaching out. However, you can learn more about wider-scale organizations and their guidelines here, here and here.

20. Affirmations

Sharing kind words with co-workers helps everyone feel connected and appreciated. For this easy activity, go around the circle and share one affirmation for each person at the party!

The most impactful way to do this is to try and think of something unique and special to say about a person. Instead of saying a co-worker is “nice,” try a more intentional affirmation, like you “appreciate the way they always have a smile for everyone in the office.”

21. New Year’s Resolutions

It may seem too early for resolutions, but vision-casting is part of any successful team! Share your resolutions and intentions for the upcoming year together. To make the activity stick, try having everyone write their resolution down.

To really hold each other accountable, especially if the resolutions are work-related, put them on a shared Google sheet to reference throughout the year as everyone endeavors towards self-improvement and professional growth together.

22. Hot Chocolate

A cup of hot chocolate is a winter staple. Send your team a packet and invite them to use a favorite mug while the party goes on. Including candy canes and marshmallows in a hot cocoa kit is also an awesome addition.

23. Cozy Drinks

Warm winter drinks don’t stop at hot cocoa! Gift your team hot apple cider with cinnamon sticks or chai lattes with caramel drizzle. There are plenty of make-at-home drink options to share with the team. Via Pinterest, partygoers can create yummy beverages then share what drinks they made!

If you’d prefer not to prepare the drinks, but still share them together during the party, gift Starbucks gift cards for team members to purchase drinks beforehand!

24. Christmas Cookies

For a sweet treat that doubles as a party activity, decorate Christmas cookies together as a team! Send team members decorating kits that include all the necessary ingredients, like frosting, food coloring, and of course, cookies! It’s important to note that most decorating kits don’t come with cookies, so be sure to double-check! Otherwise, send cookies in addition.

While decorating together, ask team members ice breaker questions, such as: “What’s the best, most epic gift you’ve ever received?”

25. Snack Boxes

The best party platter has a little bit of everything on it! With Snack Magic, you can create customized kits of salty, sweet and savory favorites for the team to munch on! A snack box is a fantastic addition to a party that will mainly consist of relaxing activities. Your team will appreciate the yummy treats!

26. Ice Cream Sundaes

Is it ever too cold for ice cream? Never! Create a customizable DIY sundae kit for the team and enjoy this frozen treat together! If you’d like, you can send out DIY kits with exclusive holiday flavors like peppermint, chocolate, caramel, gingerbread and butterscotch.

While crafting and eating your ice cream sundaes, try having team members share their favorite holiday desserts!

27. Wine Tasting

If you’ve got a 21-plus team with refined palates, wine tasting could be a great virtual holiday party activity! With at-home flight kits, sample light whites and bold reds together as a team.

With One Hope, your wine tasting event can also have a long-lasting, charitable impact! Fundraising proceeds with this organization go towards supporting water, hunger, health and education initiatives in vulnerable communities. Ten percent of your event purchases will also go to a nonprofit of your choice!

28. Gingerbread Houses

Building and decorating gingerbread houses is a classic holiday activity that never gets old. Send the team some kits and get creating! You can also send a kit with a preassembled house to save time and get straight into the decorating.

To add a little friendly competition, offer a reward for the most elaborate or creative home. Team members’ innovation may surprise you!

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29. Virtual Happy Hour

Give “cheers!” to a fantastic work year by making cocktails as a team. You can have a full-on hosted happy hour cocktail party, or just craft drinks on your own time during the party. It’s important to note that not all at-home kits come with actual alcohol, so double-check on that and plan accordingly! This also allows team members to keep their drinks nonalcoholic if they’d prefer!

30. Invitations

It may seem silly to send out invitations to a virtual party, but it isn’t! Sending a personal invite for team members indicates the company is treating the party as a significant occasion and wants it to be special for everyone in attendance!

The simplest way to create and send invites to team members is through either Paperless Post or Canva. Both offer plenty of free, holiday-themed and ready-made cards! Canva offers more customization options. However, Paperless Posts offers a seamless transition to emails and syncing invitations to online contact list databases.

31. Festive Outfits

Face it: Costumes make everything more festive! If you’d like the team to dress up for the virtual holiday party, don’t forget to let them know in advance! You can include this information in the party invitation or email.

To keep things lowkey, ask people to wear Santa hats or ugly Christmas sweaters. For more elaborate outfits, have people dress as their favorite holiday movie characters! To make things a bit competitive, award prizes for the ugliest sweater or most elaborate costume.

32. Christmas Music

Whether a team is celebrating in person or remotely, music effectively sets the tone. From classic Christmas tunes to modern holiday jams, there are plenty of sonic selections for a killer playlist.

There are a few ways to facilitate music at a virtual holiday party. One option is to designate a colleague as DJ to play holiday hits softly in the background using their computer’s audio. To make the playlist more personal, have team members submit their favorite songs to the DJ beforehand. This way, you’ll be sure every attendant knows at least one song on the list!

However, perhaps you’d rather not go through the hassle of coordinating song selections. In this case, there are numerous holiday-themed curations on Apple Music, Spotify, Pandora and YouTube

If music is too distracting, try using a crackling fireplace as background noise.

33. Gift Boxes

No matter how old you are, we all love receiving presents, especially around the holidays! It’s a great way to let team members know that they’re appreciated! Make sure to send these to the team ahead of time so that everyone can open them together during the party!

One unexpected way to make the gift boxes even more fun? Have them arrive covered in custom company logo wrapping paper! This type of unexpected detail is just another way to demonstrate the company’s dedication to making things special.

Gift items can include sweet-smelling candles, hot chocolate mixes, cookies, candy or some swaggy work merch!

34. Party Materials

Sending out party materials ahead of time is an important thing to remember! Depending on the activities you plan to do during the online party, items like cocktail kits, gingerbread house-making materials or wreaths are items that team members will need! You can also send out Santa hats for your team to wear during the event!

35. Elf Names

For an easygoing ice breaker, have everyone figure out their elf name and share it with the group! It’s sure to be silly and get people laughing!

If you’ve got a goofy team, try calling each other by your elf names the whole time. It may help if you use name tags with everyone’s new, North Pole monikers.

To make it a competition, the first person to accidentally call someone by their actual name loses!

36. Holiday Photo Booth

Last but not least, don’t forget to take a photo to commemorate the event! Have virtual party guests change their Zoom backgrounds to something holiday-themed and then snap a screenshot! For a sweet “hello,” email the picture to everyone on Dec. 25 and tell them “Happy Holidays!”

Why Should You Throw a Virtual Holiday Party?

Being a remote or hybrid team shouldn’t stand in the way of an epic holiday celebration! A virtual holiday party is a perfect opportunity to celebrate the season, acknowledge wins from the work year and bring your team into the new quarter connected!