More and more companies are hosting virtual holiday parties for their remote or hybrid-remote teams. These are typically held over a teleconferencing platform such as Zoom.
Hosting the party virtually can be a more inclusive option, since everyone can join from anywhere. It also gives remote teams the chance to get to know each other better since they don’t work in the same physical space.
Benefits of Holiday Parties for Virtual Teams
Talk about the benefits of holiday parties for virtual teams. People may think of these as something that can only happen in-person, but virtual parties can help the team bond and get to know each other, relieve holiday/end-of-year stress, etc.
Holidays are a time to bring everyone together, especially your virtual team. Coming together over the fun of the holidays can help bond everyone. It can also relieve end-of-the-year stress, which can lead to burnout.
While you can always just host a holiday party, games are an excellent way to get past awkward small talk. Playing games at your virtual holiday party is a great way to be more inclusive. A non-traditional party game such as karaoke or trivia can be a great way to get everyone engaged.
Top Virtual Holiday Party Games
Virtual Escape Room: the Office Holiday Party
It’s the most dreaded event of the year: the office holiday party. The food is stale, the music is boring, and the small talk is even worse. Suddenly, everyone’s ID badges deactivate and they’re trapped inside the party. In Virtual Escape Room: The Office Holiday Party, your team will compete as mini-teams and have 75-minutes to escape the holiday party to their coveted holiday vacation. They’ll escape by solving a series of puzzles that may include video clips, virtual maps, and character descriptions.
CourseHorse also offers a shorter 45-minute version of this game: Virtual Escape Room: Office Holiday Party (45 Minutes).
Virtual White Elephant Team Gift Experience
Virtual White Elephant Team Gift Experience is a virtual twist on the classic holiday party game. A high-energy host will start off by hosting a fast-paced trivia round that will determine the unwrapping order. Then, everyone will have a chance to “unwrap” or steal from a collection of wonderful, quirky holiday presents. By the end, each member of your team will have a digital gift that will be mailed to them after the event.
Virtual Trivia: Holiday Music Karaoke
Test your knowledge of holiday music and sing your heart out in Virtual Trivia: Holiday Music Karaoke. Your team will compete for four rounds of trivia that all feature some of everyone’s favorite holiday tunes, from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeerto All I Want for Christmas is You.You’ll be finishing lyrics, identifying songs, and singing along in this merry holiday party game. This 60-minute game is suitable for everyone, no matter which holiday they celebrate. The four rounds are a traditional trivia round, a music round, an image round, and a surprise round.
Virtual Scavenger Hunt: Holiday Scavenging
If the weather outside is frightful, then sign your team up for Virtual Scavenger Hunt: Holiday Scavenging. This popular holiday party game from CourseHorse will have your team competing to find items and complete holiday-themed challenges. Some example challenges include, making pet-friendly antlers and showing off your pet, quotes from favorite holiday movies, and creating a snowflake garden. You might be asked to go grab a holiday card from your mantle or the last thing you baked. This scavenger hunt typically lasts around 60-minutes, but can be customized for your team’s needs and goals.
Virtual Trivia: Classic Christmas Movies
Show off your knowledge of your favorite Christmas movies in Virtual Trivia: Classic Christmas Movies. This 1-hour trivia party has four rounds: a traditional trivia round, a music round, an image round, and a surprise round. All four rounds will be focused on popular Christmas movies, from Home Alone to Scrooged. A high-energy host will guide everyone through the game and party.
Virtual Escape Room: 12 Days of Christmas
In Virtual Escape Room: 12 Days of Christmas, your team will compete as mini-teams to race the clock and work together to find the lyrics to the classic Christmas song, The Twelve Days of Christmas. A high-energy host will guide everyone through the game using puzzles and clues that might include virtual maps, character descriptions, and audio and video clips. This holiday-themed escape room will have everyone in the holiday spirit.
Virtual Ugly Sweater Making Party (Materials Included)
You’ll always have something to wear to a holiday party after Virtual Ugly Sweater Making Party. A high-energy host will play jamming holiday tunes while everyone bonds over making silly, ugly sweaters. They’ll also play some easy holiday trivia while breaking out the googly eyes and glitter for their holiday sweater masterpieces. There will be a show-and-tell section at the end and the ugliest sweater wins.