Virtual Holiday Party Ideas Activities & Games for Work in 2024

Virtual holiday parties are online celebrations usually held over video conferencing platforms like Zoom, Webex and Google Meet. Virtual holiday party ideas are specific games, activities and themes for your holiday gathering. These events give remote employees the chance to relax and reconnect with coworkers. These ideas are similar to virtual Christmas party ideas, virtual xmas party ideas and Zoom Christmas party ideas.

These events are a type of virtual team celebration and include holiday team building activities.

In this list you will find:

• virtual Christmas games for work
• online Christmas games to play on Zoom
• virtual Christmas activities
• virtual office Christmas party ideas
• virtual holiday party companies

So, check out the list!

List of virtual holiday party ideas

Virtual holiday parties help remote employees mingle with far-away coworkers. These parties also give companies a chance to reward remote employees for all the wonderful work done throughout the year. Here is a list of virtual holiday party ideas and virtual Christmas party ideas to make your seasonal meeting merry and bright.

1. Fully Hosted Virtual Holiday Party 🎄

We created a Virtual Holiday Party event type specifically for remote workers. The experience is over a video conference platform, and includes holiday themed games like holiday trivia and stocking stuffer scavenger hunts. The goal is for this event to be the best darn online holiday party your people ever attended via Zoom.

Your booking includes a primary host to facilitate the fun virtual holiday activities and make sure your people stay engaged. For most online events, we also provide a co-host to manage the technical aspects and make sure it all goes smoothly. Our events are thoughtful, and have thousands of five star reviews from companies like Amazon, Apple and Google.

2. Virtual Gingerbread Wars (Popular)

Gingerbread Wars is a fun, virtual holiday event that includes Christmas themed games, competitions and actual cookies. Before your event, we send each of your participants a gingerbread kit in the mail that includes gingerbread people, frosting, candies and more. Then, we bring everyone on a video call for Christmas Zoom games like holiday trivia and gingerbread self-portraits.

Gingerbread Wars is a 90 minute event, conducted over a secure online video conferencing line that we provide. We also provide a cheerful lead host that makes sure everyone on your team is engaged, and a co-host that manages the technical aspects. Gingerbread Wars is fun, cheerful, and maybe the best darn answer to how to celebrate Christmas online. Check 22 Innovative Ideas for Virtual Christmas Party.

3. Virtual Holiday Bingo (Free Template)

Bingo is one of the most fun holiday games on Zoom, because it encourages interaction and competitive cheer. You can play this game any time in Q4, or as one of the games or activities at your main virtual holiday party too.

4. The Naughty List (Fun Icebreaker)

The Naughty List is a unique holiday variation of the game Never Have I Ever.

To play:

1. Every team member starts the game by holding up ten fingers.
2. Each team member takes a turn making a statement starting with “You are on the naughty list if…”
3. If a team member has committed the act, the team member will lower one finger.
4. The game continues for a set number of rounds, or until only one employee has fingers in the air.
5. Whoever has fingers in the air at the end of all rounds wins the game.

You can add your own items to the Naughty List too!

5. Holly Jolly Cocktail Party

Holly Jolly Cocktail Party is a fun, spirited virtual holiday party with a bartender host. Before your event, we will send you a shopping list so that your team can prepare the ingredients. Then, on the call, your event host will teach participants how to make two fun holiday drinks, and play some fun virtual Christmas party games.

This event is 90 minutes, and is a great way to connect with a remote team for “structured social time.” Our host and co-host will make sure that everyone at your event is included, engaged and having a great time. We play games and mini challenges, and wrap up the event with a seasonal cheers. Your team will love it!

6. Send Holiday Gift Boxes

For me, the best and worst part about working in an office is the abundance of free food around the holidays. I live for homemade Christmas cookies and family-recipe fudge.

You can send your remote employees a box of goodies the week before the virtual Christmas party.

Here are some suggestions:

• Hot cocoa mix
• A mug
• Cookies, candy, or other snacks
• Fun holiday accessories like headbands, hats, and sunglasses
• Holiday activities such as puzzles, crafts, games
• Photo props for a video call “photo booth” shoot
• Stationary
• Gift cards for online subscription services
• Holiday Recovery Kits – like these ones on Etsy

Holidays are times of togetherness, but remote employees might have trouble getting into the spirit. Sending a physical gift box to your remote coworkers is a great way to help your team feel included and appreciated.

7. Virtual Secret Santa

No virtual holiday party would be complete without a Secret Santa. Online gift exchanges recapture the fun of spending holidays in an office. To hold a virtual office Secret Santa, you can pick names using a gift exchange generator, then send presents, and wait to open gifts together over Zoom at the online party.

Physical packages add a more tactile and personal element, but teammates can also send each other virtual presents such as online gift cards or internet subscriptions.

Check out our guide on how to do a virtual Secret Santa for more ideas, and this one on virtual White Elephants.

8. Holiday Heist

Holiday Heist is a 90 minute virtual holiday party games. Teams must figure out which seasonal suspect stole a prized eggnog recipe before the biggest holiday party of the year. Your teams come together on Zoom to learn about holiday traditions while solving puzzles and collecting clues. A high-energy holiday-loving host presents puzzles and dispenses hints to help teams unravel the merry mystery.

9. Just A Darn Fun Holiday Event

Just A Darn Fun Holiday Event provides one hour of merry mingling via Zoom, Microsoft Teams and other platforms. A festive facilitator keeps spirits bright while leading attendees through a series of fun holiday-themed icebreaker games and team building activities. This activity combines the best parts of a happy hour and a networking event, with just the right touch of holiday cheer thrown in the mix.

10. Holiday Costume Dress-up

Sometimes I have a hard time getting in the virtual holiday spirit while working from home. While offices have tons of space for fake Christmas trees, strings of lights, stockings, webcams only show a tiny sliver of Christmas decorations.

You can team up with your remote employees for your online holiday party by asking team members to dress up. Your team can get in the holiday spirit by attending Zoom parties in seasonal garb. Some dress up suggestions:

• Santa hats
• Elf costumes
• Reindeer antlers
• Green Grinch hair

You can kick the experience up a notch by hosting a costume contest and offering a prize to the winner.

11. Kindness Quest (Gratitude Event)

The holidays are a time for giving, but also for giving back to those less fortunate. Kindness Quest is a virtual event held over Zoom that encourages philanthropy and gratitude. A helpful host will guide your group through a series of activities meant to aid the larger community while building a sense community within your company. Attendees will answer trivia questions to win free Kibble for animal shelters and hunt for items to donate to food banks. At the end of this activity, your colleagues will feel as warm and fuzzy as a comfy blanket.

12. Make a Virtual Holiday Party Playlist

Every party needs music. Real parties have one DJ, but with virtual holiday parties, everyone can create the soundtrack. Holiday Playlist is an online holiday party activity that allows remote team members to choose the music.

Here is how:

1. Create a Holiday Playlist on a service like Spotify.
2. Invite all of your employees to add favorite Christmas/holiday carols to the roster.
3. During your video call, play the playlist.
4. Ask team members to guess which coworker added which song, or invite employees to talk about why that song is their favorite.

The great thing about virtual Christmas party ideas like Holiday Playlist is that every employee has a say, which makes the party-planning feel like a group effort.

13. Do Virtual Holiday Team Building Activities

In my experience, people talk and mingle less quickly at virtual holiday parties due to the lack of buffets and open bars. You can ease initial awkwardness by doing team building activities at your online parties.

We have a list of online team building games. The Spruce offers a list of Christmas Icebreaker games you can adapt for remote teams too.

Games encourage employees to interact and help team members feel more comfortable with each other, while building remote work skills like communication and critical thinking.

14. Host a Virtual Card Exchange

E-cards waste no paper, but are just as much fun as sending physical holiday cards. You can revive this tradition but with a modern twist by instituting a Virtual Card Exchange.

Here are a couple of options:

• Direct your remote employees to sites like JibJab or American Greetings which offer fun digital cards.
• Consider allocating a budget so that teammates can send other members more upscale cards.
• Invite employees to create cards on a site like Canva. You can host a competition with categories like funniest or most creative. Bill dresses up his cats as reindeer, Linda writes a very sassy letter to Santa, and everybody laughs.

Some online E-card sites cost money, so allocating a small budget for your card exchange is a nice touch. Regardless of whether or not your team spends money to send greetings, the team will benefit from exchanging kind thoughts.

15. Mystery Holiday Theatre 3000

You can bring new life to old Christmas Classics with one of the great ideas for virtual celebrations. Mystery Science Theatre 3000 is a show where hosts comment on cheesy movies. Mystery Holiday Theatre 3000 is a virtual holiday party activity where coworkers watch and discuss a movie together on video call.

To play this game, first pick a beloved holiday movie. Some suggestions:

• A Christmas Story
• Home Alone
• A Muppet Christmas Carol
• It’s a Wonderful Life
• Elf
• National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation
• Krampus
• A Christmas Prince
• Jingle All the Way

You can encourage employees to chat and comment on the film. Funny conversation will create a more entertaining viewing experience. “If Kevin’s mom had a cell phone, this movie would be much shorter.” “Why is she closing her bakery the day before Christmas? Won’t all her customers be mad?” Mystery Holiday Theatre 3000 is a chance to let your team’s sense of humor shine.

16. Sing Company Holiday Carols

The day after Thanksgiving, Christmas carols take over every radio station in America. Personally, I get sick of the tunes after about three days. We hear the same songs every day for a month every single year. By now, most of us sing the lyrics on autopilot.

You can spice up your Christmas Carol session with a dash of originality in the form of Company Carols. Before the party, you can instruct team members to write their own versions of classic carols. This works best if you assign specific songs to individual or small groups.

Come party time, you can enjoy hits such as “All I Want for Christmas is U(X),” “Silent Nightshift,” or “The 12 Clients of Christmas.”

Pro tip: If you really feel ambitious, compile a team carol songbook, CD, or YouTube channel afterwards.

17. Virtual Holiday Party Happy Hour

Virtual holiday parties and adult beverages go hand and hand. You can share the holiday spirit by having drinks with your remote team members. A Virtual Holiday Party Happy Hour is an online meeting where teammates gather together on a Zoom call to enjoy a drink together.

Here is how:

1. First, check which states allow you to ship alcohol.
2. If sending booze is banned, then give employees an allowance to buy drinks.
3. Sip together on video during the virtual xmas party.

A fun twist on one of the most classic virtual holiday party ideas is to pick a Christmas cocktail like the ones on this list of drink ideas from Good Housekeeping, gather the ingredients, and make it as a team during the party.

18. Virtual Holiday Decorating

My favorite part of working in an actual office during Christmas is decking the halls or trimming a tree with my colleagues. While remote employees can cover desks in wrapping paper or trim the chair with garland, decorating alone is less fun.

One of the best virtual Christmas party ideas is to give employees a shared space to decorate.

A few ideas:

• Use Instagram to make a video advent calendar. Assign each employee certain days.
• Find a virtual Christmas tree or make your own in a shared spreadsheet like GoogleSheets.
• Build a Christmas village in a game like SimsOnline.
• Create an online photo album where colleagues can share home holiday scenes.
• Make a holiday wallpaper that everyone can set as their background.
• Design fun backgrounds to use during your holiday party video call.

Though your team might be limited to a computer screen, you can still decorate together!

19. Virtual Christmas Time in the City

Remote teams live and work in many cities, and Christmas may look different in each. While some team members build snowmen, others hang Christmas lights on palm trees. You can embrace all the wonderful ways to celebrate the most wonderful time of the year and highlight your teams’ homes in the process with Virtual Christmas Time in the City, the holiday activity where remote workers share hometown holiday traditions.

Here is how:

1. Direct each team member to capture pictures and videos that show off how the hometown celebrates such as tree-lighting ceremonies, regional holiday eats, subzero swims.
2. Ask each team member to prepare a short video or slideshow of their city and take the team on a “tour,” during the virtual party.
3. Invite employees to compare and contrast these holiday traditions.

Virtual Christmas Time in the City is a great way for employees to share a piece of “outside” lives. Plus, the whole team gets to travel for the holidays without any airport hassles or traffic!

20. Celebrate a Variety of Holidays

Remote teams are diverse teams. Many companies operate in multiple countries. Chances are, team members celebrate different holidays. The logistics of office celebrations mean you cannot throw a party for every holiday, but online holiday parties offer more flexibility. For example, you can make virtual Hanukkah a main part of your event.

One of the best virtual holiday party ideas is to invite team members to share their culture’s unique celebration with the rest of the team. You can ask participants to explain the holiday’s significance to the others. You can also ask your “holiday leader” to prepare a special activity for the rest of the team such as making a traditional meal, playing a game, or performing a dance.

Celebrating a variety of holidays, as an alternative or in addition to Christmas, allows all team members to celebrate special occasions in the workplace and acknowledges and respects individuals. Plus, celebrating different holidays virtually means more parties to enjoy!

21. Virtual Holiday Photo Booth

Trying to cram your whole team into a photo booth at an office party will not end well. Thanks to programs like Zoom and Microsoft Teams, remote teams group shots are much easier to coordinate.

During your virtual holiday party, you can gather your team onto the screen for a video call, then use screenshots or a similar image capture feature to snap a photograph.

For maximum holiday photo booth fun, props are a must. You can either send your teammates printable photo booth props like these ones from Shutterfly, or ask your coworkers to bring an assortment of festive accessories to the call.

Suggestions for holiday photo props:

• Santa hats
• Reindeer antlers
• Red and green boas or garland
• Colored lights
• Angel wings
• Presents
• Hats, mittens, and scarves

If posing for a picture seems too tame for your team, then you can always up the excitement factor. Try turning the virtual holiday photo booth into a game by challenging your team to concoct the zaniest expressions, group poses and recreations of holiday movies.

Once you get your shot, you can turn the photo into a virtual card and send all your teammates a memento of your virtual holiday party.

Virtual Holiday Party Games

Virtual holiday party games are fun games, competitions and challenges you can play at a Zoom holiday party. These games tend be optimized for video calls, and generally have a holiday theme like Christmas carols or elves.

These games are similar to video call games and may include Zoom games and Webex games.

So, here is a list of fun virtual holiday games for your party.

22. Tradition or Not?

From hiding a pickle on the Christmas tree to stuffing gifts in shoes to running away from the Krampus, some truly strange holiday traditions exist. Chances are that your teammates might practice some unique personal holiday customs, too. Perhaps Delilah’s family lights a Star Wars themed menorah. Maybe Jaquelin’s friends and family compile a poetry anthology every Kwanzaa. Perhaps Jorge’s family celebrates Christmas with a horror movie marathon.

Tradition or not? reveals all of your teammate’s most bizarre or endearing holiday rituals. The game is a festive twist on Two Truths and a Lie that challenges team members to guess whether a colleague has revealed a fact or fiction. To play, each team member will share a quirky holiday tradition. The other players must guess if the tradition is real or fake.

23. Virtual Holiday Scavenger Hunt

Online scavenger hunts are virtual holiday games worthy of any occasion. Teams scour the house and web for seasonal clues. Winter holidays are especially fun times to play, since there are so many options for unique hints both online and offline.

We made a holiday scavenger hunt that you can play with your remote team over Zoom, but you can feel free to make your own challenge from scratch!

Examples of virtual holiday scavenger hunt prompts:

• Pet dressed up in Christmas clothes
• Drunken Santa
• Family photo gone wrong
• Terrible present
• Elaborate decoration
• Heartwarming story
• Rich person Christmas
• Definitely getting a stocking full of coal

You can split the group into teams and turn the hunt into a race, or you can award points based on the originality and absurdity of the answers.

24. Online Holiday Party Trivia

Any online event can benefit from virtual team trivia, but trivia makes online holiday parties especially fun. To play, prepare your questions, split the group into teams, and quiz your crew on holiday knowledge. For extra festive flair, you can ask teams to choose holiday-centric names like “The Grinches,” “Bah-Humblebrag,” or “The Wisemen.”

We created a list of starter questions to kickoff your online holiday trivia game. Download the PDF here: virtual holiday trivia questions.

To play:

1. Divide the group into teams.
2. Quiz each team on holiday knowledge with seasonal questions.
3. Allow each team two minutes to discuss the answer with teammates in a separate chat window.
4. Collect the teams’ answers on the video platform’s private chat feature.
5. Keep score. Tally points at the end of the game. Declare a winner.

Holiday trivia can fall under categories such as holiday songs, traditions, movies, stories/lore, but there is no need to limit yourself to these categories. You can get creative in your questions by tapping into topics like the ghost of Christmas ads past, holidays around the world, or celebrations gone wrong.

Virtual holiday team trivia infuses your virtual party with a fun competitive edge and lets your teammates combine collective knowledge in a bid to earn yuletide bragging rights.

25. Chubby Elf

Growing up, The Polar Express was my favorite Christmas story. I read the book dozens of times, along with other classics like “The Night Before Christmas,” “Frosty the Snowman,” and “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer.” By now, I know every word to these stories by heart, but even I would fail to recognize these tales if the storyteller’s mouth was full of marshmallows.

Chubby Elf is a similar game to Chubby Bunny. The rules require the storyteller to recite the plot to a classic Christmas story with a mouth full of marshmallows. Teammates will try to guess the story as quickly as possible. The team or individual with the most points at the end of the game wins a holiday-themed prize, like a snow-globe, or maybe the rest of the marshmallows.

26. Holiday Special

There is a heated debate as to whether or not Die Hard is a Christmas movie. Since the events of the first two movies take place on Christmas Eve, technically you could consider the films a holiday franchise.

The holiday special game turns other unconventional flicks into holiday movies by imagining additions. To play, teammates will describe a fictional “deleted scene” that transforms the film into a holiday movie. The most entertaining or outlandish take wins the game.

Example: Pirates of the Caribbean is actually a Christmas film. Since the setting is the tropics, you cannot tell it is winter. Towards the end of the movie, there is a scene where Captain Jack Sparrow escapes the zombie pirate ship by hitching a ride on Santa’s sleigh. In fact, a famous line from the original script read, “But why is the rum gone… I was about to make eggnog!”

Of course, you can play this game during a variety of online holiday parties, not just Christmas.