Everyone seems to be leading a busy life these days, so when it comes to celebrating the Holidays, it can be difficult to get everyone under one roof. Friends and family members may be scattered across the globe, and employees and teammates may be working remotely.
Luckily, the wonders of technology make it easier for us to celebrate the holidays online. From virtual gifts, to holiday e-cards, to hosting a holiday party over Zoom, with a little bit of creativity, you can celebrate the holidays with everyone in your life—no matter the distance!
‘Tis the season of giving! Even if you're thousands of miles away, you can still get into a spirit of generosity with these fun, distance-friendly gift ideas.
What’s better than making someone belly-laugh? Not much, if you ask us! Send out a hilarious e-card of your friends, family, or team singing and dancing to a rap-rendition of a holiday song.
You can find these hilarious e-cards on JibJab, or choose an e-card classic with the popular Elf Yourself. And don’t worry, it’s all animated—no actual singing or dancing required!
Sure, cards are nice, but you know what’s even nicer? A card with cookies attached! Pick the perfect holiday card from SendOutCards and choose a nice gift to accompany it, like gourmet fudge brownies or a mini-assortment of Mrs. Fields cookies! It’s a perfect holiday surprise for family and friends. It’s also a nice way to show employees your appreciation!
This one goes out to all the companies with remote workers. What better gift to give your employees than a surprise afternoon or day off? No doubt, they’ll appreciate the break and come back to work the next day invigorated!
A Virtual Secret Santa is just like a normal “Secret Santa”—but over Zoom! To make sure that everyone has their gift by the time your Zoom is scheduled, agree to mail gifts ahead of time. (Sites such as Elfster allow everyone to sign up and even create a wish list!) When each person receives their gift in the mail, they’ll need to wait to open it until the Zoom meeting. Then, everyone can open gifts and celebrate together!
Nothing beats a good holiday get-together, even if it’s over Zoom. Just because you’re apart, doesn’t mean you can’t still party! Here’s how to celebrate the holidays online.
This is just what it sounds like. Schedule a Zoom or FaceTime get-together where everyone must wear their most obnoxious holiday sweater. The more outlandish, the better! Complete the holiday party with holiday games, cocktails, or just good old-fashioned conversation.
Most people have to wrap presents every year—but why wrap alone? Host a virtual “wrapping party” over Zoom. It’s guaranteed to turn a chore into a cheerful evening! (Note: Try not to wrap presents of the people who are in the Zoom meeting with you!)
This is a great icebreaker for work or just a fun game to play with friends who know each other well. Elect someone to be in charge of music, and have them play only the first note of a holiday song, while everyone else tries to guess what song it is. When you say “Go,” everyone will enter their guess into the chat!
While you can always do this with friends and family, this one works especially well if you’ve got a remote team. Schedule a Zoom work party theme that’s not holiday related. For example, a tropical theme, outer space theme, or medieval theme with activities and costumes to match!
Who says Happy Hour has to be in-person? Get together online and make a few different holiday-themed cocktails or mocktails. At the end, you and your family, friends, or team can raise a glass to a great year—and many more to come!
You can do this one of two ways: you can either put together your gingerbread houses in peace and harmony, with friendly conversation and mugs of hot cocoa steaming by your side… Or, you can turn it into a fiercely competitive—and sticky—extreme sport! At the end, have an impartial judge declare who made the most elaborate gingerbread house!
This is an excellent game to play during your next virtual holiday party. Designate one person in charge of calling out the text in each square, and have the participants raise their hand on Zoom, write in the chat, or simply call out if they have that square! You can buy/download holiday bingo cards from places like Etsy, or you can make your own printable bingo card.