Ideas and inspiration from the Robintek staff
Holiday gatherings and Christmas plans might be a little different this year, but if you’re opting for a virtual get-together there are still plenty of ways to celebrate! From family-friendly fun to Friendsmas parties, keep reading for some of our favorite virtual Christmas party ideas for all ages!
Play Games together
Dutch Auction
There are a variety of ways to play this game, but this is our favorite. Set a timer for 2 minutes and have each household group gather 10 random items from around the house. The person leading the game will have a list of 10 household items that they “need”. One by one the leader will ask for each item and each household will take turns to “sell” one of their items to the leader trying to convince them that what they have is what the leader needs. Points are awarded to each team (1-5) based on how convincing their “sell” is. This is a great game for creative thinkers.
Charades
Divide into at least two teams and take turns acting out prompts without talking. You can come up with your own prompts or use an online list or generator like this one: https://www.thegamegal.com/word-generator/
Pictionary
Use screenshare in combination with either the whiteboard feature or a program like Paint. You can come up with your own prompts or use an online generator or list like this one: https://randomwordgenerator.com/pictionary.php
Virtual Scavenger Hunt
This is a great option for families with kids! Create a list of common household or holiday items and have each family team try to run and bring back the item to show on screen within a certain time frame. If your group is speedy try a 60 second window, if that leaves people careening around their houses too quickly extend that window to something that fits your group.
Bake together
So many holiday traditions involve food. You can still make holiday memories sharing time in the kitchen together online. Plan ahead and choose something to cook together that fits your interests and the age of everyone participating.
Make dessert together
Does your family have a “must have” dessert for the holidays? Whether it’s pie, cake, gingerbread, or cookies; virtually cooking together is a great way to continue holiday traditions when you can’t be there in person.
Christmas Cookies
There are so many fun ways to incorporate Christmas cookies into video gatherings. Depending on how much time you’ve set aside for your virtual get-together you could bake cookies, decorate together, or have a cookie decorating contest. Make it a game by blindfolding someone and having them decorate guided only by directions from the group, or head-to-head speed decorating. It might get a little messy, but you’re sure to have some memorable moments along the way.
Holiday Cocktails
For the 21+ crowd send around an ingredient list ahead of your virtual party and make one (or more!) festive cocktails together! There’s nothing more fun than getting into the “spirit” of the holidays together.
Rachel’s virtual baking story
I’m a fairly good home cook, but pie crust is my nemesis. I’m spoiled most holidays because my dad is great at making pie, but with our family opting for a virtual Thanksgiving celebration I decided to take another swing at pie crust from scratch. After one failed attempt I had to do a video call with an expert: aka my father. This ended up being one of my favorite moments of the holiday. The video chat made it feel like we were cooking in the kitchen together, laughing and joking around while making something tasty. If your family enjoys cooking together or just hanging out and catching up in the kitchen, I’d highly recommend making it a part of your online holiday celebrations.
Craft together
This is a fun choice for groups that like to DIY. Choose a craft that fits your interests and skill level. Make sure everyone has the supplies they need (you can send out a list ahead of time, mail or drop off materials, or choose a craft that uses common household items). Need an idea for a project? Here are a few we came up with:
- Christmas Ornaments
- Holiday Wreath
- Festive Origami creations
Learn a new skill
Learning how to do something together can be a great party activity! Plus, learning a new skill has never been easier with all the tutorial videos available to stream on YouTube. Select something that is of interest to your group and works for your time frame. Check out some of these ideas:
- How to make a balloon animal
- How to paint with acrylics
- How to crochet
Take a walk down memory lane
The holidays have a way of making us reminisce about the past, and holiday gatherings can be a great time to share memories. This can be a fun get together with a little pre-planning. Give everyone a small assignment to think of a fun family memory they’d like to share and encourage including old photos or memorabilia then take turns sharing online together.
Rachel’s memory lane story
Our family combined this with a quick craft during Thanksgiving this year. I had paper white bulbs delivered to each family ahead of our virtual get-together because they remind me of my grandparents. They were avid gardeners and taught me how to force bulbs to bloom indoors in the winter. My family planted the bulbs indoors and we each took turns sharing family memories.
Enjoy your virtual celebrations!
We hope these ideas inspire you as you plan your virtual holiday gatherings this year. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from all of us at Robintek!
