13 Virtual Holiday Party Ideas for a Merry Zoom-mas
Engagement 7 minute read

13 Virtual Holiday Party Ideas for a Merry Zoom-mas

Megan Orr | November 28, 2024

This holiday season, uniquely celebrate Christmas and the New Year with these engaging virtual party ideas. This isn’t your typical office holiday party!

You don't need complicated equipment to host a successful virtual holiday party. Keeping it simple is a great way to bring in-person and remote employees together. Virtual holiday party ideas don’t have to be over the top—the goal is to bring remote teams together, not just sit around a Christmas tree silently! It’s a fun holiday, don’t be a Grinch.

Traditional elements like gifts, eggnog, festive decorations, and ugly Christmas sweaters can all be enjoyed from home, allowing all team members to get into the holiday traditions within their virtual offices.

Whether your team is fully remote, hybrid, or in-person, hosting a virtual event is an excellent opportunity to get together and recognize everyone's hard work over the past year. No matter where they are. Now, that’s good company culture.

We’re past Halloween, so let’s spread some serious holiday cheer and host the best virtual holiday party. Here are some fun and easy ideas for your virtual holiday party:

How to Host a Virtual Holiday Party

To successfully host your virtual holiday party, here is a checklist to ensure everything is set to celebrate. 

  1. Choose a video conferencing platform: Choose a platform that comfortably accommodates your guest list (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, etc.) and breakout rooms.
  2. Send a calendar invite early: Let your guests know when to expect a virtual holiday event (at least two weeks to a month in advance)! If you are unsure, have a few placeholders in your company’s calendars.
  3. Plan your itinerary: Pick a virtual holiday party idea and outline the activity or activities. If you are planning several holiday party activities, allocate an appropriate amount of time for each.
  4. Incorporate themes: Encourage team members to dress up in festive attire or specific themes to engage your employees. You can even have an ugly sweater competition or host themed games. After all, it’s a Christmas party; bring out your holiday sweater.
  5. Prepare backgrounds: For added fun, use holiday-themed virtual backgrounds. This is another fun way to get into the holiday spirit!
  6. Break the ice: Start with icebreakers and maintain energy and employee engagement throughout the holiday event through team-building activities.
  7. Send virtual Christmas cards: Create holiday cards on Canva to send after. Make it personal for a special touch!
  8. Share on social media: Embrace the festive spirit and share highlights on social media to showcase your company culture and holiday celebrations!

Virtual Holiday Party Ideas

Let's brainstorm. You’re hosting your virtual company holiday party soon and don’t know what to do for the celebration. There are so many virtual holiday party games and virtual holiday team-building activities. Here are some inclusive and fun ideas. 

1. Host Holiday Trivia

Host a holiday trivia contest online. Prepare trivia questions such as:

Q: What made Frosty the Snowman come alive?

A: That old silk hat.

Q: In ‘Jingle All The Way,’ what is the name of the action figure Arnold Schwarzenegger’s character searches for?

A: Turboman.

Q: In ‘Home Alone,’ where are the McCallisters going on vacation?

A: Paris.

Employees can compete individually or in teams (you can assign the pairings). A little friendly competition hurts nobody. Exciting prizes like extra days off or e-gift cards can motivate employees to play. You could also host holiday trivia as a game show so that employees who don’t want to play can still participate. 

2. Play Charades

Charades is a classic guessing game perfect for a holiday-themed virtual team-building event. Players can act out holiday movie titles or themes while others guess. This fun activity adds excitement to the celebration.

3. Hire a Third-Party to Organize a Fully-Facilitated Virtual Party 

Consider hiring a service like TeamBuilding for a fully facilitated event, which includes interactive games and activities for up to 200 people over a secure video conference. Their parties typically last 90 minutes and feature energetic hosts to keep engagement high.

4. Host a Virtual Scavenger Hunt

A themed virtual scavenger hunt is another fantastic way to engage employees while promoting creativity and quick thinking. In this activity, participants are given a list of items or challenges to find within their homes, which they must retrieve and present over a video call. 

The hunt can be themed—such as holiday-related items or quirky challenges—and typically lasts around 30 minutes to an hour. Teams can communicate via chat or breakout rooms. You can also using scavenger hunt apps that provide structured gameplay and real-time scoring. 

5. Assemble Holiday Gift Boxes

Spread the holiday cheer by sending personalized holiday gift boxes directly to employees' homes. Curate items from local retailers or use services like Saul Good Gift Co. These thoughtful gifts show appreciation and boost morale.

6. Host a Virtual Secret Santa

Keep the festive spirit alive with a virtual Secret Santa exchange (or white elephant!). Use an online generator to assign names randomly and set a spending limit for gifts. Then, open presents together during your virtual holiday party!

7. Kickstart the Holiday Happy Hour

Organize a virtual happy hour by providing cocktail or mocktail recipes in advance. You can send DIY cocktail-making kits to employees or hire a bartender to lead the session, making it an enjoyable social experience. You could also deliver drinks to your employees’ homes. 

8. Go Singing with Virtual Karaoke

Create a holiday playlist and host a karaoke session for your virtual holiday party. Share the playlist beforehand so team members can prepare or even add their favorite holiday songs to the playlist!

9. Gingerbread House Contest

Send gingerbread house kits to employees and hold a contest during the party. Categories for prizes could include the fastest builder, the most creative design, and the best classic style. Name the winners during your virtual holiday party!

10. Host a Virtual Escape Room

Plan a themed adventure and work together to solve puzzles and riddles within a set time limit. Many companies offer customizable escape room experiences that can be accessed via video conferencing platforms. 

Teams can be divided into smaller groups for collaboration and communication as they navigate through clues and challenges. A live host or game guide often facilitates the experience, providing hints and ensuring everyone stays on track. This interactive format adds an element of excitement and fun to your virtual holiday celebrations.

11. Play Holiday Bingo

Get your bingo cards out! This game can be easily adapted for online play. Players receive bingo cards filled with holiday-themed prompts such as "owns an ugly Christmas sweater," "has built a gingerbread house," or "still believes in Santa." As the host calls out items, players mark them on their cards, aiming to complete a row or pattern.

12. Get Creative with Decorating

Want to get creative instead? Try decorating holiday cookies or a Christmas tree. You could send out Christmas ornaments or cookie kits in advance. Your cookie kits could come complete with pre-baked cookies, icing, and an assortment of festive toppings like sprinkles, chocolate chips, and edible glitter. Ask employees to show off their decorated cookies or Christmas trees during the call!

13. Host a Virtual Holiday Board Games Party

There are many online versions of board games, such as Pictionary. To set up the game, use a digital whiteboard or a shared screen feature on your video conferencing platform, enabling players to draw their assigned holiday-themed words or phrases. Keep score and see who wins!

Improve Employee Engagement with Rise People

No matter what you decide to do, remember that an office holiday party is all about showing your employees appreciation for all their hard work–not just fun games.

Want some do’s and don’ts for hosting a virtual holiday party? Download our FREE infographic, Do’s and Don’ts of Hosting a Virtual Holiday Party, to learn more about what you should (and shouldn’t) do to host the best holiday party this year.

You can also ask for feedback beforehand when looking for virtual holiday party ideas. So, your event is tailored to your team's preferences. Get them pumped for Christmas and the upcoming new year. Do all this in Rise! Learn how today.

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