The Christmas party is an annual tradition for people across the world. Whether that’s a chance to catch up with friends, have a few drinks with your family or celebrate a year of hard work with your colleagues, most of us look forward to putting on our sparkliest top or novelty Christmas jumpers and letting our hair down.
A big Christmas party would be lovely this festive season, especially after the year we’ve had but sadly things have returned to normal just yet. This means Christmas 2020 is going to look a little different from usual. But this doesn’t mean you can’t still throw a brilliant bash whilst keeping yourself and your guests safe.
This year, digital technology and in particular, video calls, have been a huge lifeline for many and they have helped many to stay connected to loved ones and to their work. So though you may not be able to meet in person, we thought it would be nice to share with you some My Baggage’s top virtual Christmas office party ideas, so you can still blow off some steam and spend some time having fun together this Christmas, even at a safe distance.
So what are we waiting for? Here are six virtual Christmas party ideas you should consider this year.
1. Pub quiz
Ah, the humble pub quiz. The perfect way to have some fun, have a few drinks and show off your general knowledge (or lack thereof). And though the pubs might not be able to host these events this festive season, it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a Christmas-themed quiz to end the year.
There are several ways you might wish to host your virtual pub quiz. Firstly, you could appoint a Quiz Master who is in charge of writing the questions, reading them out and then going through the answers at the end. Alternatively, there are apps and platforms out there already designed for this very purpose. This could be the easier approach if you’re short on time.
2. Secret Santa gift exchange
Just because you can’t all spend time in a group this year, it doesn’t mean you can’t still run your annual Secret Santa gift exchange! It’ll just need to be a little different. You’ll need to start by drawing the names out of a virtual hat (and there are apps for this) and then be sure to post your gift to your selected participant in plenty of time. Then, choose a date where you can all join in on a video call and open your presents with one another from afar. You can always carry on the party afterwards with a few festive drinks.
3. Cocktail night
Christmas isn’t just about red, white and green, it’s also about sparkles and so you might want to choose a more sophisticated theme for your Christmas party. If this is the case, instruct your guests to put on their favourite sparkling outfits, dresses, shirts (and maybe slip a novelty tie in their somewhere) and prepare for an evening of cocktails.
Everyone can log on to the video call with their chosen cocktail at the ready, they can also demonstrate their cocktail-making skills throughout the evening. This can be a wonderful way to catch up with everybody over a few drinks whilst not just feeling like yet another of your day-to-day video conferences.
4. Christmas cook-off
Christmas is a time for lots of yummy food and eating slightly too much, so if you’ve got a few keen cooks in the group, why not arrange a Christmas cook-off! Everyone can choose their favourite dish and prepare/cook it on camera together. Then, once they’re done you can present them on screen to see how you’re creative guests have got on.
The best part is, once everybody has finished cooking, you can all eat together. It’s not quite the same as going out for a meal together but in today’s current climate it’s the next best thing. Plus you never know, you might get some new recipes and dinner inspiration from other participants!
5. Fancy dress party
If you and your friends love any excuse to dress up, don’t let your creative spirit go to waste this festive season. Arrange a virtual ‘night out’ (OK so a night in) where you can share some drinks, some laughs and yes you guessed it, all get dressed up and show your costumes off on screen.
With many unable to go shopping and some shops still closed, getting the perfect outfit together might take a little longer. So if you want to host a fancy dress Christmas party, be sure to choose your theme and let everyone know with plenty of time. Because who doesn’t love fancy dress? And you can still marvel at each other’s great outfits virtually, listen to some music and have a few drinks this festive season.
6. Games night
There are so many great games you can play virtually and in the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, there was a surge in apps and games hoping to keep friends and families connected and having fun. Aside from a pub quiz, you could also consider the following for your games night:
- Virtual charades
- Present wrapping races
- Never have I ever
- Bingo
- A scavenger hunt around the house
You could also sign up for the dedicated apps that allow you to play games together online. For example, there is an online version of Cards Against Humanity, Uno and Drawful (essentially online Pictionary). There are also entire packages created to offer a range of fun and unique games. These include Jackbox, Houseparty and Bunch.
It’s time to get festive!
This list is by no means exhaustive and you could take this as an opportunity to get really creative and move some of your usual Christmas traditions online. But either way, you don’t have to let distance stop you from enjoying your annual Christmas party. Make the most of these virtual ideas for a festive season with a twist.