2020 has been a year of upheaval, and it’s not done with us yet – the traditional end-of-year office shindig is one of its latest victims. According to a survey, 89% of companies in the UK plan to have virtual company Christmas parties this year due to lockdowns and social distancing requirements. If yours is one of them, you don’t need to look any further for celebratory ideas that offer a fun, safe end to 2020.
We’ve put together suggestions for activities that you and your colleagues can do as a group via Zoom or similar video call platforms. We’ve also included activities designed for one or two people. The latter can be enjoyed separately, or they can take place in breakout rooms during the online event.
Consider offering several different experiences, such as a wine tasting or a candle-making workshop and asking your team members to indicate which one they’d be interested in before the event. This allows time for the relevant kits to be delivered.
Online Office Christmas Party Ideas
Celebrate Christmas together but apart with these great festive-themed holiday party ideas that are 100% online and 100% fun.
Online Wine Tasting – Three Wines
Give wine-loving teammates the chance to enjoy an online tasting of three excellent wines from Lepa Vida, a boutique Slovenian winery. The wines will be delivered to their homes before they’re joined online by someone from the winery, who will guide them through the tasting.
Gingerbread House Decorating Competition
Have pre-baked gingerbread house kits delivered to your employees and hold a decorating competition online. Kits such as this gorgeous one from Biscuiteers include everything they need, from the walls and roof of the house, to sprinkles, candies, and other elements they can use to create something special. Have several prizes for categories such as Best Construction, Most Creative Decoration, and Best Use of Sprinkles.
At-Home Rum Tasting
The spiciness of rum makes it the perfect tipple for the festive season in the UK. Give your teammates the chance to taste some of the world’s most sought-after rums at an at-home tasting. The experience includes 10 different samples as well as informative tasting notes.
You can gift it to several employees, who can enjoy the tasting together in a breakaway room at your virtual office Christmas party.
Online Prosecco And Bordeaux Tasting
An online prosecco and vintage Bordeaux tasting could be a wonderful way to end 2020. Offering it as part of your virtual office party gives participants to join Wine Cottage connoisseur Kam Zadeh online for a tasting session that includes a selection of fabulous wines. It’ll certainly make the occasion one to remember!
Online Candle-Making Workshop
What’s Christmas without the warm, cheerful glow of candles? Treat your employees to an online candle-making workshop as part of the virtual event. The kit includes everything needed to make a scented candle at home, as well as a video tutorial by London Refinery founder, Lucy Heale. If only some of your employees are to take part in the activity, they can do it in a breakaway room, or by using Watch2Gether.
Online Chocolate Truffle Masterclass
Instead of including chocolates in your employees’ Christmas party goody bags, why not give them the chance to make their own? With MyChocolate’s online chocolate truffle masterclass, the ingredients they need to make 20 truffles will be delivered before they join a chocolatier online for the class. They’ll learn new skills, and they’ll have something delectable to show for their efforts.
A Festive Meal
The food is one of the best parts of the end-of-year office party, and there’s no reason to give that up in 2020. You can approach it in various ways for your virtual company Christmas party.
One is to offer to reimburse employees who order or cook the food of their choice (up to a limit per person, of course). Another is to use a delivery service to arrange for a festive lunch or dinner to be delivered to each person just before the party is due to start.
Truly Experiences Gift Cards
Gift cards that offer your team the chance to enjoy some of the incredible experiences curated by Truly are a great option if a virtual company Christmas party isn’t possible for the whole team. They also make wonderful prizes for festive-themed quizzes and gingerbread house decorating competitions. All of our experiences are valid for two years from the date of issue, so you’ll also be giving your hard-working team the gift of something to look forward to!
More Corporate Holiday Party Ideas
Festive Goody Bag
What’s a company Christmas party without drinks, snacks, and a few favours to add to the atmosphere?
An online end-of-year event doesn’t mean you or your employees need to go without those elements. Mail festive goody bags (or have them delivered) to the members of your team, so that when everyone joins in on the Zoom call, they’re ready to get into that holiday spirit.
Include some – or all – of these items in the bags, or let them inspire you to put together a collection of treats better-suited to your team:
- Snacks and drinks (soft drinks, beer, cider, or wine)
- Father Christmas hats, reindeer horn headbands, or other fun headgear
- Stocking fillers such as Christmassy knickknacks, mini fruitcakes, festive truffles, and personal care products
- A festive-themed scented candle
Themed Zoom Call
Make your virtual company Christmas party more interesting by suggesting a theme and encouraging your colleagues to dress accordingly.
A few of our suggestions include:
- Ugly Christmas jumpers
- The Nightmare Before Christmas
- Dreaming of a white Christmas
- Naughty or nice
- White and gold/red and green
Virtual Party Icebreakers
The idea of a virtual company Christmas party may seem strange to some of your team members, and they may feel a little awkward at the start. Use these icebreaker questions to help everyone get into the mood:
- What’s your favourite Christmas movie?
- What’s your favourite festive food?
- If you could ask Father Christmas one question, what would it be?
- What was the weirdest Christmas gift you’ve received?
- Name one thing you’ve done that would put you on this year’s Nice list
- Name one thing you’ve done that would put you on this year’s Naughty list
Christmas Karaoke
Once everyone’s a bit more relaxed, you can enjoy a Christmassy karaoke session. Participants can use Watch2Gether to make sure their video streams are synchronised. Next, use the queue feature on YouTube to create a list of Christmas song karaoke videos (make sure they include the lyrics). With that done, you’ll be all set to get the singing started (hairbrushes and pepper grinders make great microphone substitutes).
Choose songs such as:
- Frosty the Snowman
- Jingle Bells
- Deck the Halls
- Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer
- All I Want For Christmas Is You
Festive Scavenger Hunt
If karaoke isn’t getting you excited, consider a festive scavenger hunt. It’s a great way to get people active during a virtual company Christmas party.
Compile a list of items that participants must look for in their homes and then show to the other participants. The first person to return with the required item wins a point. You can award them extra points if they have an entertaining story to tell about the item.
A few ideas include:
- The most Christmassy item in your home
- A holiday season movie
- Your all-time favourite gift
- An item that reminds you of a family Christmas at home
- The best Christmas gift you’ve ever received
Office Christmas Party Games
Ensure there’s never a dull moment during your virtual company Christmas party by including a few holiday-themed party games. Choose variations of games that most participants will recognise, such as charades, Pictionary, and a quiz.
Holiday movie charades
One person acts out a holiday movie title or scene while the others try to guess the name of the film.
Festive Pictionary
Use screen-share and whiteboard features to play festive Pictionary. Use prompts such as mistletoe, the star of Bethlehem, Santa’s workshop, and reindeer. Allow each person 60 seconds to draw their subject while the others try to guess what it is.
Christmas quiz – Divide the participants into teams, create a breakout room for each team, and then ask yuletide-themed questions in various categories, such as Christmas traditions, Christmas around the world, Holiday music and film, and festive foods.
Secret Santa – Put a virtual twist on the game by having gifts delivered to colleagues, then ask them to guess what’s in their package. If they get the answer wrong, they can do forfeits like singing a song, doing a funny dance or telling a joke.
A virtual company Christmas party may not be the most attractive option when not faced with a pandemic, but it certainly is during 2020. Use our tips to make your online event unforgettable!
For more help with your company’s holiday event or for unique corporate Christmas gifts, visit our dedicated Corporate Page and get in touch.