It's that time of year where you and your coworkers get to kick back and celebrate your hard work with a holiday party. The only problem is, this year, you've likely been working from home for most or all of it due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic. If your office is having a party, it's most likely virtual, which means you might need to come up with some virtual work holiday party ideas. Just because the festivities are taking place over Zoom, that doesn't mean they can't be super fun.
A lot of the activities you've been doing during your virtual happy hours can happen at the holiday party as well, but with a festive spin. Try a mulled wine or holiday spirits tasting if everyone is 21 or up. Play a virtual game, like holiday tunes bingo. You can even assign a party attire, asking everyone to wear their best holiday sweaters. The merriest and brightest lewk wins a prize.
Instead of tinsel garland and poinsettias as your decor, consider a festive Zoom background and funny Snap Camera filters to make your holiday party pics stand out. All you need to do is finalize your work party plans, and send out the E-vites. It's as simple as that for another event that's so fun you'll be talking about it at your virtual water cooler talks for months.
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Don't just do a holiday cocktail party, but plan a virtual wine tasting. If someone in the office is a wine connoisseur, see if they want to lead a special tasting of holiday drinks, like mulled wine or champagne cocktails. You could also send out holiday packages with mini bottles wine and festive treats, like candy canes and gingerbread. Then, see which wines pair best with each treat.
Bingo is an easy game to play with your coworkers virtually. Send out different bingo cards to each team member to print out and use. You can even find some festive cards on Etsy for a great price ($3, Etsy).
If you want to take it up a notch, play holiday tunes bingo. Put together a playlist of Christmas songs, and have it play on shuffle. Each card will have different songs list, and when your song plays you get to mark it off.
If your office has a Secret Santa tradition, there's no need to stop it this year. Get creative with your presents and do a virtual gift exchange. Instead of sending things in the mail, everyone can get online gifts.
Set the attire to ugly holiday sweaters. Let everyone know that there will be a contest, and the most festive sweater will win. Not only will this inspire people to dress up, but it'll also bring on a bunch of silly picture opportunities.
Holiday charcuterie boards are crushing it right now. There are hot chocolate boards, Christmas-themed ones, and even Disney holiday ideas you can try. Challenge your coworkers to put together the most Insta-worthy cheese board. Send over some supplies, if it's in the budget, to help them get started, like a holiday meat and cheese box ($30, Harry & David).
Instead of hanging up garland and decorating Christmas trees for your office party decor, you can send out some festive Zoom backgrounds. This is an easy, budget-friendly way to spice up your virtual party. It'll also make your party group screenshots more Insta-worthy.
Put together a list of holiday items people might have in their homes for a virtual scavenger hunt, like a gingerbread house, several candy canes, or a snowman figurine. Include a few office inside jokes. The most fun will be going over the items everyone grabbed like a show and tell presentation. Whoever has the most items on the list, wins.
The holiday party can be a great opportunity to get some team building in. Play a few rounds of games on JackBox or book a virtual experience from Main Event that's catered towards team building exercises. You could even do a simple game where everyone submits one fun fact about themself, and then you guess who it's about.
'Tis the season to watch as many holiday movies as possible. Plan a virtual movie night instead of a big party, where you stream a classic like The Santa Clause or Elf. Feel free to add in your own commentary to make your coworkers laugh.
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