Remote work has become more popular than ever post-pandemic, leaving many of us to only interact with our work teams over virtual channels. But, this doesn’t mean we can’t have an amazing holiday party, right?
Here, we’ve put together some great tips for planning an unforgettable virtual holiday party for your remote team this year.
Setting the Date and Time
Choosing the perfect date and time for your virtual holiday party is the foundation of a successful celebration. In a remote team with members scattered across various time zones, thoughtful planning is essential.
Start by identifying the key time zones your team occupies and use tools like World Time Buddy to visualize the differences. Conduct surveys or polls to gather input from team members, ensuring their availability and participation. Additionally, consider flexible scheduling options, such as hosting multiple sessions or staggered events, to accommodate everyone’s needs.
Choosing the Right Virtual Platform
Selecting the ideal virtual platform for your holiday party is a pivotal decision that can greatly impact the event’s success. With a plethora of options available, such as Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet, Slack, and Discord, it’s essential to align your choice with your party’s goals and your team’s familiarity with the platform.
Look for platforms that offer high-quality video and audio capabilities, screen sharing for presentations and games, as well as interactive features like chat and emoji reactions to maintain a fun atmosphere. If you plan to organize breakout activities, ensure the platform supports this feature. To prevent technical glitches, do some pre-event testing and make sure everyone on the team knows where to find the party!
Creative Themes and Decorations
Choose a holiday theme that your team will find the most fun or most festive, depending on the vibe you’re going for this year. Whether it’s a winter wonderland, a cozy fireside chat, or a tropical escape, the theme sets the tone for the entire event.
You can also encourage people to use virtual backgrounds to transform your virtual space into a festive wonderland and encourage team members to dress up if they want to. Creative themes and decorations will add a bit of festive cheer, and make it something special.
Virtual Kris Kringle Gift Exchange
Hosting a virtual Kris Kringle gift exchange can be an absolute blast during your remote holiday party. You can take advantage of digital tools designed for drawing names ahead of time, to make sure that gift givers and recipients are a surprise for everyone.
Then at the party, people can take turns opening up the gifts all together and share the fun. Encourage people to come up with creative Kris Kringle gift ideas, give them plenty of time to shop (and ship their gifts), and don’t forget to set a budget!
Interactive Activities and Games
Kick off the event with icebreakers designed to foster connections and get everyone in the holiday groove. Think of virtual adaptations of classic games like trivia, bingo, or Pictionary to keep the virtual fun rolling.
To crank up the excitement a notch, consider introducing prizes and incentives to motivate active participation. These interactive activities and games serve as more than just icebreakers; they’re memory-makers that weave stronger connections among team members. Your virtual party is sure to be etched into their memories as an unforgettable and bonding experience.
Entertainment and Music
Crafting a playlist brimming with holiday classics and upbeat tunes serves as the perfect backdrop to set the mood and ignite everyone’s holiday spirit! Who knows, maybe after the eggnog comes out later, people will feel like getting up and dancing.
But that’s not all – encourage your team members to unleash their inner talents, whether it’s belting out tunes, busting a few dance moves, or sharing heartwarming holiday stories. This infusion of entertainment and music adds an extra layer of excitement and vibrancy to your virtual gathering, ensuring that everyone departs with a grin on their face and a treasure trove of cherished memories from the event.
Food and Beverage Ideas
While your virtual holiday party may not involve a traditional banquet, you can still indulge in delightful food and beverage ideas to enhance the celebration. Consider sharing holiday recipes in advance, encouraging team members to prepare and enjoy the same dishes during the event.
To make it even more special, you can coordinate meal deliveries from local restaurants or catering services, allowing everyone to savor a festive meal together. You can also try a virtual cocktail/mocktail mixing session can be a fun way to bond over shared beverages.
Virtual Photo Booth
Introducing a virtual photo booth injects an engaging and amusing dimension into your remote holiday party, granting team members the opportunity to capture and relish special (or funny) moments. Setting up a virtual photo booth is a breeze, courtesy of user-friendly tools like Snap Camera or Zoom’s virtual backgrounds embellished with fun filters.
Inspire your team to channel their inner models, donning quirky Christmas sweaters or any festive attire they fancy, and make use of a treasure trove of holiday-themed props throughout the event. Participants can either snap screenshots or preserve their photos, thereby etching these joyful memories into the annals of celebration history. Sharing these photographic gems afterwards, be it on a dedicated platform or via email, ensures that the laughter and camaraderie of those fun-filled moments remain vivid and cherished for months, and even years, to come.
Sending Digital Invitations and Reminders
Don’t forget to make the invitations and reminders fun, as well! Even if you’re not super artistic, consider this permission to get creative and try user-friendly tools like Canva or online invitation services to bring your vision to life. These invitations should pack the essentials: date, time, virtual platform link, and any dress code or theme pointers.
Here’s the key: send those invites well ahead of time, granting your team members ample preparation time and the opportunity to RSVP. As the big day draws near, sprinkle some friendly reminders into the mix.
Post-Party Follow-Up
In the post-party, the photo and video highlights are bound to be amazing. If you’re feeling extra creative, put together a montage set to music of funny things that happened during the party and send them along with your thank-yous to the team as everyone heads off for the holidays.
And, don’t forget to tap into the team’s insights on what they enjoyed most and would like to have as part of the remote holiday party celebration again next year. Never too early to start planning!
