How To Host A Virtual Holiday Party<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n How To Make A Virtual Holiday Party Fun<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Fun Virtual Holiday Party Games<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n Frequently Asked Questions<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n A virtual holiday office party is just like an in-person party but you host it online using a video-teleconferencing platform. Company holiday parties usually take place around Christmas as it is one of the most widely celebrated holidays in America. Not only does the \u2018season of lights\u2019 lend a festive feeling to the air, but it\u2019s also during the last quarter of a work calendar. This is when people wrap up successful projects and vision cast for future exciting initiatives. Also, the date is close to New Year’s Day when everyone has off! Plenty of reasons to celebrate! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Keep in mind that Christmas is technically a religious holiday. Your company may be diverse, with people who celebrate different seasonal religious holidays, like Hanukkah or Kwanza, or no religious holidays at all. Be conscious of this and consider hosting a \u201choliday-themed\u201d party to be as inclusive as possible, especially because remote employees may already feel a bit left out already. Still, Christmas-y or not, the most important thing is to make it fun for everyone! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Since holiday parties happen yearly, you may already be familiar with the process of planning such an occasion. But there are some unfamiliar aspects too. Here are some of the best virtual holiday party ideas for you to use and make your holiday party planning a breeze!<\/p>\n\n\n\n First things first. Create your guest list. How large is your organization? Depending on size, you\u2019ll need to consider whether the party should be company-wide, departmental, or for a few teams that regularly interact with one another. Inviting employees’ families and friends is another factor to consider. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you have a budget and are considering buying gifts or sending party food packages to attendees, you should have an approximate headcount in advance. Importantly, having a rough idea of how many people to expect will help you choose activities suited to the group and a video-conferencing platform that can accommodate the number of guests<\/p>\n\n\n\n Here\u2019s a tip: if the guest list is massive, you may want to hire a <\/strong>virtual event planning company<\/strong><\/a> to take care of all the logistics so you can sit back and enjoy your Eggnog!<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A good rule of thumb: don’t plan your company\u2019s virtual holiday party for a date and time when employees aren’t working.<\/strong> If your company closes for specific days around the holidays, pick a date a few days before those dates. You don’t want the party to be held too far in advance of the start of company days off as it won’t have that same festive feel in the air. <\/p>\n\n\n\n If you can, schedule the party for a date after any pressing project deadlines. That way no one feels distracted or that they shouldn’t attend due to work obligations. Aim for a time during work hours and keep it within that timeframe. After work, people are extra busy around the holidays buying gifts, attending holiday parties, and spending time with family. While it may be next to impossible to find a date that\u2019s ideal for everyone, give it your best shot. Lastly, unless you want potentially disgruntled guests, do not make the party mandatory!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Before picking a video-conferencing platform<\/a> for your virtual work holiday party, consider which platform can accommodate the number of guests expected to attend and are the guests likely to be familiar with that platform. Some platforms to use are Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Hangouts, and Skype. If your company uses a certain platform, go with that one as more people will be comfortable with it already!<\/p>\n\n\n\n Zoom is especially good for parties as many games and activities can be held over Zoom. Zoom\u2019s free version can accommodate 49 screens on view at the same time. This will work great for a medium-sized party. The free version however only allows no more than 40 minutes per call. If your company pays for a Zoom plan already, you\u2019ll get more time for your virtual holiday party. Here\u2019s a guide on how to use Zoom<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You\u2019ve made your guest list (and checked it twice!), the date is set and your virtual party has a name. You can finally invite everyone! You can always go with something simple like a G-Cal invite. But you can build anticipation by designing your own virtual holiday party invitation<\/strong> with digital invitation creators like Evite<\/a>, PaperlessPost<\/a>, and Punchbowl<\/a>. All of them have holiday-themed templates and many of them are free. Here\u2019s an example from Paperless Post<\/a>. Don\u2019t forget to include a video conference meeting link in your invite!<\/p>\n\n\n\n If your virtual holiday party will have a theme, indicate that in the invite. Will you hold an Ugly Holiday Sweater contest? Let everyone know in advance! To get everyone excited about the party, choose a catchy name. Rather than \u201cOffice Holiday Party (Virtual-style)\u201d, pick a name that matches the party theme or games you may play. Here are some virtual holiday party name ideas:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Swap \u2018Til You Drop 2022<\/em> (doing Secret Santa)<\/p>\n\n\n\n Santa\u2019s Ho-Ho-Hoedown<\/em> (country-themed)<\/p>\n\n\n\n There Might Be No Christmas<\/em> (playing an escape game)<\/p>\n\n\n\n There are dozens of awesome virtual holiday party themes to choose from and you can find some of the best ones below. <\/p>\n\n\n\n Give your virtual holiday party that extra something special by using holiday-themed virtual backgrounds!<\/strong> This is one of the best free virtual holiday party ideas. It\u2019s easy to replace an actual background with a virtual background<\/a> with a photo or even a video. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There are so many great free virtual backgrounds available from Zoom<\/a>, Unsplash<\/a>, Shutterstock<\/a>, Pixabay<\/a>, Pexels<\/a>, and other stock sites. You can even create your own with a platform like Canva<\/a>! <\/strong>Pick one for all the guests or let them get creative and choose their own. Either way, it\u2019ll be a fun indication of how people like to decorate and celebrate the holidays, whether that be hanging tinsel or cheering on their favorite sports team.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Get the gang psyched for the party by starting a countdown! <\/strong>Time and Date<\/a> lets you create your design and enter the date and time (down to the second!) in the template. They have a cute Christmas template ready to go. However, you can customize the background and the font as well if you\u2019d like! <\/p>\n\n\n\n One <\/strong>virtual company holiday party idea <\/strong>is to send<\/strong> <\/strong>company holiday gifts to your employees and set aside time during your virtual holiday party for everyone to open them together!<\/strong> Make sure to send the gifts in advance. Try to pick a holiday gift that most people will like. Here are some safe bets:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Though it\u2019s not as fun, sending online gift cards for popular stores guarantees that everyone gets exactly what they want and on time. Add a personal touch if you purchase actual gift cards and send them in the mail with a handwritten note.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Food baskets are a standard holiday gift, but there are some with unique treats one may not expect, <\/strong>like <\/strong>a holiday-themed dessert basket from Milk Bar<\/a>! They offer several options featuring their famous and unusually flavored sweets like Compost Cookies, Cornflake Chocolate Chip Marshmallow Cookies, and Confetti Cookies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n For traditional holiday season food baskets, go with tried-and-true Harry and David<\/a>. Etsy<\/a> also has a wide assortment to choose from. Stonewall Kitchen<\/a> makes incredibly delicious food baskets! Their Maine Morning Batter Bowl Gift comes with a pancake mix, Maine maple Syrup, Wild Maine Blueberry Jam, and a holiday-themed bowl and whisk. This is wonderful comfort food for the day after your wild virtual holiday party! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Spice up your virtual holiday party by adding a theme. These can be simple, like wearing seasonal clothes – think Santa hats or making classic holiday cocktails. <\/strong>Whatever the theme you are sure to find a virtual background to match! <\/p>\n\n\n\n For many, decorating cookies is a Christmas tradition. Why not use it as an excuse to bond with co-workers and eat a delicious treat?<\/strong> If you\u2019re feeling ambitious, you can have the team make colored frosting and cookies from scratch. Otherwise, you can have people use pre-made cookie and frosting options and just focus on the decorating aspect of the activity. Either way, it will be delicious! <\/p>\n\n\n\n Have your colleagues don some seasonal outfits to make your party more jolly and bright!<\/strong> Imagine everyone\u2019s computer screen filled with dozens of Santas, elves, reindeer, and gingerbread people. Maybe you\u2019ll even get a grinch or two!<\/p>\n\n\n\n This party theme is the complete opposite of a holiday costume party! Choose a white-themed virtual background like a peaceful wintery scene with snowmen. Ask everyone to wear white and drink white cocktails or beverages (White Russians, Eggnog, Pina Coladas, even milk!). It might be a bit much to ask for all the food to be white too, but just eating sugar cookies will do the trick!<\/p>\n\n\n\n It doesn\u2019t get more traditional than sipping classic hot holiday drinks while listening to Christmas tunes<\/strong>. As part of your party invitation, ask team members to make a cozy drink to sip on during the event! You can also share some recipes with the team from Pinterest for themed hot drinks, like peppermint mochas or mulled apple cider. If you\u2019d like to make things easier for the team, send a hot chocolate gift package<\/a> like one of these from Amazon. Another option is to send them a gift card to Starbucks or a local coffee shop. <\/p>\n\n\n\nWhat Is A Virtual Holiday Party?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
![\"woman-zoom-christmas\"](\"https:\/\/teambuildinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/woman-zoom-christmas-1024x538.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHow To Host A Virtual Holiday Party<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
1. Make A Guest List<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
2. Pick A Date And Time<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
3. Select A Video-Conferencing Platform<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"world-christmas-zoom\"](\"https:\/\/teambuildinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/world-christmas-zoom-1024x597.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\n4. Send Invitations<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
5. Consider Using A Background Photo Or Video<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
6. Launch A Virtual Countdown Clock<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
How To Make A Virtual Holiday Party Fun<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
Gifts And Goodie Bags<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
![\"woman-santa-hat-laptop-lights\"](\"https:\/\/teambuildinghub.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/woman-santa-hat-laptop-lights-1024x538.webp\")
<\/figure>\n\n\n\nHoliday Party Themes <\/h3>\n\n\n\n
1. Cookie Decorating Party<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
2. Holiday Costumes<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
3. A Merry, Very White Christmas<\/h4>\n\n\n\n
4. Cozy Drinks and Christmas Music<\/h4>\n\n\n\n