How can virtual Christmas parties with good ideas and games boost the mood? We present 8 fun ideas that will sweeten your Christmas spirit. And we'll tell you what we pulled out of the bag last Christmas for our virtual Christmas party.
Whether it's up or down - Christmas parties with the team are unforgettable. As we all know, the risk of infection is also high at live events this year. Fortunately, there's the virtual Christmas party. It's more lively than you think, and the risk of infection is only lurking in the fun factor. So that you can take it to the extreme with your team online, we give you 8 ways to get inspired for the digital Christmas party - with these games and ideas, the party is sure to become a celebration :
1 | The Christmas quiz for the virtual Christmas party: Oh, you questionable one
Get your colleagues' minds racing with the incense candles: with a quiz, you're spot on. The puzzle fun is quick to prepare and easy to integrate into the online Christmas party. All you have to do is share your screen and you're ready to have fun.
It gets even merrier if you give the quiz a theme . What would fit in better with the festive season than Easter, sorry, Christmas? Think of tricky questions about Christmas movies, for example. Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella? Sure, we've seen it a thousand times. But where the heck is the castle in reality? Or how many light bulbs did Clark Griswold put on his house for the Christmas present? It's best to set up the quiz in Who Wants to Be a Millionaire style - with four possible answers. That way, you have enough room for a good dose of humor.
2 | Karaoke: You've hit a note
Prove your talent for wrong notes. Want to bet that your colleagues' mulled wine will spill out of their cups with joy? Preparing for karaoke is child's play. All you have to do is search for the desired songs as karaoke versions on YouTube and throw them into the happy crowd one after the other via split screen. Then it's time to sing along.
Here, too, you'll land an even bigger hit with a motto - especially with Christmas songs. Who's larynx swells with "Last Christmas"? Who will blush at "Rudolph, the Red-Nosed Reindeer"? The prospect of winning an attractive prize for the "Voice of Christmas Party" promises additional excitement. Or for the weirdest performance.
3 | Secret Santa auction: The Hammes never falls sweeter
Secret Santa is important, every colleague knows that. Unfortunately, we can also give ourselves the gift of Secret Santa in person this year. And it's just not the same online. But wait: how about you and your team turn it into an auction?
To be more precise: everyone contributes a nice item and everyone bids diligently. For example, for something you've made or baked yourself, a voucher for dinner at the boss's or something that's just sitting around in your home but is highly coveted by your colleagues.
Of course, the event needs an auctioneer to advertise the items and drive up the bids. This is how fun and excitement come together. And if you want, there's also a good cause. Because you and your team can of course donate the money raised. The bills will certainly be extra loose.
4 | Christmas card competition: Tomorrow comes the Postillon
Mulled wine is fun. With a dash of creativity, you can do even more. For the Christmas card competition , some dexterity in Photoshop or similar software would certainly be an advantage. Of course, paper and colored pencil will also do.
It's best to give your colleagues some time to prepare. Assign the design of the cards as homework. On the day of the virtual Christmas party, you can then present the results to a smug group. Everyone comments on their own - and reveals which Christmas tree the card should be placed under.
To keep the diaphragm busy, the ideas should be as funny as possible. How about Christmas cards to run away with, for example? A prize for the most original card elicits additional creativity.
5 | Board game Activity: Let's take a cheerful guess
You're probably familiar with the classic game Activity, in which you have to take turns drawing, explaining and gesticulating to elicit the correct term from your opponent. It's great fun where you can easily become the winner - and makes a wonderful spoon.
The good thing is that this lively little game also works virtually . Drawing is easy with a mouse or digital pen on the split screen. Gesticulating and explaining are easy via the camera.
Define all the terms you are looking for in advance and keep them with you. The person whose turn it is to describe the word is sent the word and the action via WhatsApp. Then it's time to start, and whoever knows the answer the quickest wins.
6 | Virtual Christmas dinner: Come on, little feasters
The online buffet is open. Which menu will it be? The delicious virtual feast even offers some advantages. If someone smacks their lips or you eat something yourself, you can simply mute yourself. What's more, you don't have to queue at the buffet or the toilet. And as the saying goes? It tastes best at home.
You and your team don't have to swing the wooden spoon yourself . Order what you like. Here, too, a selected motto is a tasty ingredient. How about viva-la-mexico style with enchiladas, tacos and chili con carne? Or a Russian menu à la Father Frost - including shashlik, borscht, bacon and vodka? Also nice: make a toast every time you raise your glasses. And if you want to put the Christmas star on the cozy feast - simply underline the typical local cuisine with the appropriate costume.
7 | "Would you rather" as a Christmas special: happy decisions everywhere
Have you ever heard of this game - or even given yourself a good mood? If not, it's easy to explain: in "Would you rather" , players are faced with two bizarre situations. They have to decide at lightning speed which scenario they would rather face. A fun game with almost inexhaustible possibilities. All you have to do is look on Google and you'll have a whole Christmas sleigh full of ideas.
Fortunately, the game is also a great choice online. And it works like this: All colleagues prepare a sheet of paper labeled "A" and one labeled "B". Now someone reads out the scenes - after 3 seconds, everyone holds their answer "A" or "B" up to the camera. For example, you could ask the group who would rather celebrate Christmas on the beach or in the snow. And which of you would prefer not to listen to any other song than "Last Christmas" or watch any other movie than "Three Hazelnuts for Cinderella" for the rest of your life? Afterwards, everyone can philosophize about the decisions over plenty of mulled wine.
8 | Our recommendation: Oh, colleague. Oh, colleague. How cool are your hobbies!
Arnold can do this. Berta can do this. Cheyenne can do this. You mean you know your colleagues? Wait and see ... This fun little game will prove you wrong at the virtual Christmas party - because there's a lot more to your team than you think!
In the run-up to the Christmas party, each member of the team is asked to submit two different selfies . One shows them doing a real activity, the other a fictitious one. During the Christmas party, the selfies then make the rounds with corresponding questions, for example: "Can Oleksii do acrobatic horse stunts? Or did he work on the set of the series Vikings?"
Everyone votes. Then comes the resolution. And it turns out like the time of the annual snowfall: surprising. For example, we learned that our programmer Oleksandr can decode flight recorders, Ugur likes to go fishing but has never caught a fish, and Jens sometimes tries his hand at making beats on the side with little success. By the way: Our Oleksii actually rides on horseback and performs action-packed stunts.
Secret Santa tip 1: If virtual, then vote and answer digitally too
In a quiz or survey, you can of course raise your hands, speak words or show notes through the webcam. But why not vote and answer digitally if the Christmas party is already taking place virtually anyway ? Ring a bell - we have tried it out:
We ran the game under point 8 (see above) with the help of Mentimeter, an app that can be used to create interactive presentations. Each team member received a numerical code at the start of the presentation and connected to the presentation via smartphone. Our festive presenter Stefan Riedl activated question after question, and each time we had a few seconds to give our answers directly via smartphone. The great thing is that the app rewards correct answers as well as speed and awards points based on this. At the end, there is an evaluation in the form of a ranking list - which leads us to the second Secret Santa tip for your virtual Christmas party ...
Secret Santa tip 2: Awarded for special Christmas party achievements
Business is a competition. So why stop at Christmas ;-) Perhaps you shouldn't take the Christmas party quiz so seriously. But we know from our own experience: Competition also stimulates the joy of playing at virtual Christmas parties! Our recommendation: Schick the person on the winner's podium a certificate for special achievements at the Christmas party. Our members can download suitable templates right here and customize them as desired. They'll be happy to print them out!
Have all these ideas and games whetted your appetite? Then quickly clean the screens and check the Wi-Fi. And if one idea isn't enough for you, you can of course also combine them wonderfully. We wish you and your team a fun-filled virtual Christmas party!
Image sources: Unsplash © Sharon McCutcheon, Unsplash © Bridget Mac Donald, Unsplash © Libby Penner, Unsplash © Aswathy N, Unsplash © Cloris Ying, Unsplash © Jonathan Petersson, Unsplash © laura adai, Unsplash © Devin Pickell, Unsplash © Lasse Jensen, Unsplash © XPS, Unsplash © Howard Bouchevereau