Virtual Holiday Party Ideas (Try These 5 Games)

Written by:
Collin Waldoch
Updated:
July 14, 2021

Many digital solutions have emerged in the past few years to enable virtual holiday party ideas. It’s never been easier to make lasting memories online with friends and family while hundreds or thousands of miles apart.

Virtual holiday parties are typically held over video conferencing platforms like Zoom and Google Meet. When you’re trying to communicate with friends and family from a distance, jumping on a video call can make all the difference. These calls can create a unique sense of camaraderie that can’t be replicated via text or email.

Can that brain hold that map without thumbs? Unlikely.

As you start planning your next holiday gathering, lining up a few potential ideas before the party. This will give you time to think about the type of games that will most likely appeal to the attendees and how they might fit into the agenda.

In this article, we’ll break down some virtual holiday party ideas. 

How do you host a virtual holiday party?

With a full range of digital tools at your disposal, there’s never been a better time to plan a virtual holiday party. In addition, millions and millions of people are now well-versed in video conferencing tools like Zoom and Google Meet to communicate.

Yeah, not Zoom. But it is a laptop in black-and-white with a thoughtful brain nearby.

The question is, how can you shake things up and host the ultimate virtual holiday party? You don’t need extravagant plans to host an engaging event. Sometimes, less is more. If you want to host a successful virtual holiday party, it all comes down to preparation.

  • Pick a convenient time for all attendees and send a calendar invitation to each of them. Don’t forget those pesky time zones.
  • Use digital tools to power your event. If the attendees are more familiar with Google Meet than Zoom, choose to host the event on the preferred platform. This will help to ensure any potential navigational hiccups can be avoided.
  • Make sure everyone has access to the video conference call. Once a date and virtual location have been established, call invites need to be shared with all participants. Platforms may require invitees to create an account before joining the party.
  • Create a theme for your party. If there’s a common interest that unites your friendship group, why not lean into this? Depending on when the event falls, you could focus all activities around a seasonal holiday.
  • Communicate with invitees to increase excitement and anticipation for the event. If you’re worried they will forget about the event, you could send email or text reminders.
  • Share a virtual party agenda with attendees. This can consist of handpicked games and activities. While you should leave room for flexibility, sharing the agenda beforehand, everyone will be prepared and know what to expect.
  • Set a time limit to stop the party from dragging on until everyone is bored. You can have plenty of fun an hour or two. There’s nothing worse than being stuck on an awkward call. If the party goes stale, it might be time to wrap things up!

What are the best virtual holiday party ideas?

Are you struggling to come up with ideas for engaging party activities? We’ve done all the hard work for you. If you want to host a virtual holiday party, you should consider these 5 ideas:

Water Cooler Trivia - We can deliver a handwritten trivia quiz to every attendee’s inbox. These quizzes can be completed during the video call. After submitting the completed quizzes, both humans and robots come together to grade fairly and quickly. Our solution can be completely customized - giving you the freedom to choose when and how you receive the quizzes.

Virtual Holiday Bingo - Who doesn’t love a game on bingo? You can’t go wrong with a quick bingo game to get you in the festive spirit. Bingo encourages social interaction and a healthy sense of competition among participants. This is the perfect game to get your party off to a flying start.

It's bingo. Everyone's favorite. What more needs to be said?

Holiday Gift Boxes - If you’re a small group of friends, a week before the party, you could send each other holiday gift boxes. These can then be opened on the call. When your friends have a sense of humor, this activity works well. You should try to incorporate humor into the contents of each gift box. This can help to lighten the mood and create festive cheer. 

Virtual Secret Santa - It’s a classic. Each attendee sends a gift to another a few days before the event. To make sure every attendee is accounted for, the host will need to coordinate the gift exchange in the weeks building up to the event. The more notice you can give attendees, the better. This isn’t a last-minute activity.

Virtual Holiday Happy Hour - Are you finding it hard to get into the holiday spirit? Why not raise a glass at a virtual holiday party? A virtual meeting gives you the opportunity to share a drink with your friends and family.

Are you ready to host your virtual holiday party? Get started with Water Cooler Trivia today!