30 Best Virtual Holiday Party Ideas

September 18, 2020

It’s hard to believe, but the holidays are quickly approaching! And even though the season might look a little different this year, there are still plenty of ways to spread holiday cheer. Whether you’re planning your office holiday party or your annual family get-together, we’ve got you covered. Keep the holiday spirit alive with these fun virtual holiday party ideas.

1. Send cookie kits for cookie decorating and gingerbread house making 

Put together kits with all the supplies you need to decorate cookies or gingerbread houses (or use pre-packed kits), ask guests to prepare the tools beforehand, and you’re all set to have a great night decorating cookies together. Send some hot cocoa packets as well for an extra special treat. 

chef plating holiday dish
2. Learn to cook a restaurant-quality meal with a professional chef

The holidays are all about food, and just because most of us will be celebrating virtually doesn’t mean the food can’t be special. Learning to cook from an award-winning, professional chef adds that layer of pizazz for the holidays and leaves everyone with a delicious meal. 

3. Plan a virtual Secret Santa 

Give everyone a name, or use a randomizer tool on the internet to help assign everyone a Secret Santa. Once everyone has the addresses they need, decide on a price limit, and have guests send out their presents before a set date. Host a virtual holiday party and open the gifts together! 

4. Watch your favorite holiday movies together 

Open up Zoom or your other favorite video call app and host a holiday movie marathon. So nice and cozy! You could also throw a Netflix Watch party

5. Have a Christmas music karaoke night

Bring the Christmas caroling online! Turn on the holiday music and sing the night away together for one of the more musical virtual holiday party ideas.

holiday cocktail
6. Treat guests to a special, progressive event with cocktails, cooking, and more! 

For a special holiday event to be remembered, host a progressive experience complete ingredient and cocktail delivery! During this experience, guests “travel” between virtual rooms to connect with culinary experts, build a festive cocktail, cook a delectable appetizer, and experience flavor like never before with perspective-shifting flavor tripping. An interactive, all-inclusive experience!

7. Take your tacky sweater party online 

No need to cancel the tacky sweater party! Encourage guests to get even tackier with additions like hats, jewelry, virtual backgrounds, and more to really bring it to the next level.  

8. Put together a holiday-themed trivia night 

Or hire a quizmaster to help! Throw in questions about the holidays around traditions, holiday TV specials like Festivus, and more. 

9. Asks guests to decorate their backgrounds for a holiday decoration challenge

String up some lights and pull out your best holiday ornaments to turn your usual Zoom spot into a winter wonderland. Make it a competition to up the ante. 

virtual christmas tree
10. Decorate a virtual Christmas tree together

There are lots of sites that turn trimming the Christmas tree into a virtual, interactive experience. Pull one up, share your screen, and tell stories as you decorate. 

11. Shake up delicious cocktails with an expert mixologist

Perfect for a virtual holiday happy hour, holiday party, or other special event. Invite an expert mixologist into your guests’ homes and toast to the season. Imagine— not having to fight to get the bartender’s attention during the crowded holiday bar season? That’s a gift in itself. 

12. Send out a holiday care package and open together 

Whether you use a company to send out packages or put together your own, sending out a little gift box is an easy way to show you care. You can also personalize them if you have a small group. This will add a little bit of surprise when you’re opening together. 

13. Watch a live performance together 

As the holidays come around, be sure to keep an eye out for special live performances. Since many artists have pivoted to virtual events, there’s bound to be many that you and your guests can enjoy for a great virtual holiday party idea. 

holiday cards
14. Write holiday cards together and send out to those in need 

Ask everyone to get some holiday cards or send some out for a letter-writing party. Guests can opt to send to loved ones or choose an organization to support like Cards for Hospitalized Kids to ensure the holiday cheer is spread far and wide. 

15. Light a virtual menorah together

For those celebrating Hanukkah, send out a Zoom link to light your virtual menorah together each night. On the last night of Hanukkah, plan a celebration full of your favorite traditions. 

16. Celebrate your team’s big wins 

Even if you can’t be in the office together, a virtual holiday party is still a great way to wrap up the end of the year. Highlight some big accomplishments for the year, do a champagne toast, and then spend the rest of the time chatting and bonding with each other. 

17. Play a game of holiday charades

Keep all of the guesses holiday-themed. Have your guests act out holiday movie titles, Christmas songs, and other holiday items for a festive night of fun. 

watching a christmas movie
18. Put on a virtual version of A Christmas Carol

Musical theater troupes have also switched to virtual performances so you could easily catch one of those, but why not try putting on a play yourselves? A Christmas Carol is a classic and a good place to start, but you could do anything from reenactments of Elf to A Christmas Story. 

19. Share family traditions & have guests try them out together 

Gather a list of everyone’s family traditions before your event, and ask guests to try out the ones that they can on the day of the party. Ask each guest to share a little bit about the tradition and why it’s important to them. 

20. Take a holiday class together 

Whether it’s ornament making or calligraphy for cards, you can walk away with some beautiful handcrafted items from one of the many virtual classes available. 

21. Share photos of holidays past 

Have everyone share old holiday photos and put them on display during your party. To make it more fun, you can guess where each photo came from. At the end, take a new photo together for a lasting memory! 

virtual holiday party bingo game
22. Play holiday bingo 

Bingo night, but make it festive. There are lots of readymade holiday bingo cards online for an easy virtual holiday party idea. Tell everyone to grab some treats, drinks and put on their favorite holiday gear for a special game night. 

23. Explore the world through holiday traditions 

Learn about global holiday traditions together and try out some at home. It’s a great way to try out something new and expand your knowledge of other cultures. 

24. Have an epic hot chocolate night 

Find a few different recipes for hot chocolate (like Mexican hot chocolate, peanut butter chocolate, or maybe even an alcoholic version for the adults) and make a list of suggested mix-ins to host a virtual hot chocolate night. You can combine with other ideas like watching a holiday movie or alongside your secret Santa night. 

25. Host a holiday run or other exercise event 

Break up the holiday food fests with a holiday jog. Though races might look different this year, ask folks to run a 5k wherever they are and then join at the (Zoom) finish line. If you want to add a charity element, you raise money leading up to the big race day. 

beer and cheese tasting for virtual holiday party
26. Host a virtual beer and cheese tasting 

Drink some tasty beer and snack on cheese while learning about the pairings. Holiday calories don’t count, remember? 

27. Collect toys for a toy drive

Due to COVID-19, the holidays might look different for many families. Collect toys and wrap them together virtually to send out to families in need. If there’s a safety concern, consider sending gift cards instead. 

28. Have a festive craft night 

DIY some holiday decorations for a relaxed evening of family-friendly fun. 

29. Gift wrap the night away 

Gather your presents, send out a Zoom link, and wrap gifts together. Make a collaborative playlist to share on the night of the party. 

making christmas cookies for virtual holiday party
30. Send some cookies for a cookie swap

You can bake up some treats or order some from a bakery. Swap addresses with guests to have them send out cookies for a delicious virtual holiday party. 

Bonus! Dress up for a virtual wine tasting with a Master Sommelier  

If wine is more of your crew’s speed, host a virtual wine tasting with a trained sommelier for a fancy evening of fun. You can even have the wine delivered! 

Looking for easy, stress-free virtual holiday party ideas? We can help. Have ingredients sent straight to guests’ door for a memorable, all-inclusive holiday party.

Let’s Get The Party Started