20 Top Virtual Holiday Party Ideas for Fun-Loving Teams

A virtual holiday party isn’t just about enjoy turkey and smores, or sharing a few laughs over apple cider or cocktails. While that’s definitely part of the fun, focusing solely on it can be a rookie mistake. When well planned, festive celebration can create bonding and great connections among coworkers that go beyond the holiday season.

A pinch of inspiration is sure to help; that’s why we have put together a whopping 20 virtual holiday party ideas for work. These ideas cover all the major holidays, as well as a couple of more international ones. Many don’t have to cost you a penny, while others involve a little investment in return for a more fun-packed experience.

In this article, you will dive  into:

• Thanksgiving Virtual Holiday Party Ideas
• Virtual Holiday Party Ideas for Christmas
• Hanukkah Virtual Holiday Party Ideas
• Virtual Holiday Team Building Activities for Kwanzaa
• Virtual Holiday Party Ideas for the New Year 

Table of Contents

How Virtual Holiday Party Ideas Cheer Up Teams? 

The holiday season comes with end-of-year deliverables, festive to-do lists, and occasional winter slumps. Throwing a virtual holiday party offers a welcome break from the usual work routine. Well-curated holiday experiences help teams kick back, indulge in some festive cheer, and provide an opportunity for team connection. 

The playful and festive atmosphere of Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year celebrations strengthens social connections and creates a sense of belonging.  Most importantly, it helps team members stay motivated and energized, setting a positive tone for the year ahead. 

Engaging Virtual Holiday Party Ideas for Teams

Whether it’s Thanksgiving, Christmas, or special occasions like Hanukkah or Kwanzaa, here are some virtual work holiday party ideas to make your gathering one to remember. All you need is a bit of creativity and thoughtful planning.  

Thanksgiving Virtual Holiday Party Ideas🍂 

Thanksgiving virtual office holiday party ideas create a wonderful opportunity to show gratitude and appreciation towards your employees. Here are some games and activities for your team that perfectly capture the spirit of the holiday. 

1. Thanksgiving Trivia Showdown

A pub-style trivia game is a perfect way to kick off your Thanksgiving celebration or even serve as the main event of your holiday party. Participants can test their knowledge across a variety of festive topics, including Thanksgiving history, traditions, parades, movies, food, and more. Teams must collaborate to answer questions correctly and outperform their competitors.

To keep the energy high, you can include four to five rapid-fire rounds, such as “Guess the Image” or a music-themed round. A moderator or professional trivia host, such as one from platforms like Hooray Teams, can read the questions aloud, manage the rounds, and keep track of the scores. At the end of the game, announce the winners and celebrate them with fun prizes.

2. Friendsgiving Cocktail Party

A Friendsgiving cocktail party adds a dash of fun and flavor to your virtual holiday party for work. Teams can come together, sip on seasonal concoctions like Apple Cider Spritz or Cinnamon Tequila Sour, and share gratitude for the year gone by. For an added layer of excitement, invite a professional bartender to demonstrate hands-on cocktail-making techniques for your team. 

Everyone can follow along and craft their own unique drinks that pair perfectly with the season. Make sure to offer mocktail options too, so everyone can join in, whether they’re skipping the booze or just prefer something non-alcoholic. To keep the energy high, include Thanksgiving-themed icebreakers or a virtual scavenger hunt to round out the experience.

3. Thanksgiving Scavenger Hunt

If your team loves offbeat virtual holiday party games for Thanksgiving, a scavenger hunt brings out everyone’s playful side with friendly competition. Share a list of festive-inspired items with your team to scavenge around their home office or immediate surroundings. These could include items that remind you of gratitude, fall-inspired decorative items, or cozy attire. 

To make it even more exciting, add a few riddles or puzzles to guide participants to the hidden items. As you discover each item, you can snap a photo or shoot a video and submit it to a common group or platform suggested by the host. 

4. Holiday Cook-Off

Food has always been at the heart of Thanksgiving, dating back to the days of the Pilgrims. While your remote or hybrid team may not be able to physically break bread together, they can still celebrate the flavors and traditions that make the holiday so special. Invite each participant to prepare a signature dish or family favorite and showcase it to the team. You can go with easy, no-bake alternatives like creamy mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, or pumpkin mousse, or get creative with personal favorites.

Make things even more exciting by introducing a few fun voting categories such as “Most Creative Dish,” “Best Story Behind the Dish,” or “Pinterest Perfect Presentation”. If cooking isn’t feasible for everyone, team members can order their favorite seasonal dish from a local spot or present a no-cook option, like a beautifully curated snack platter or charcuterie board.

These four ideas are just the beginning; explore a cornucopia of virtual Thanksgiving ideas in our full guide.

Virtual Holiday Party Ideas for Christmas🎄

From entertaining games to creative sessions, these virtual holiday ideas take your Christmas celebrations far beyond just another Zoom meeting.

5. Jingle Bingo Bash 

Looking for fun, easygoing virtual holiday party games for work this Christmas? We definitely recommend a classic game of bingo to liven up your festive spirit.  Create Christmas-themed Bingo cards with fun and festive prompts around holiday traditions, movies, food, and drink. As the caller announces the prompts, players mark their cards and complete a row, column, or diagonal. The first one to do so shouts “Bingo-ho-ho!” and earns a small Christmas-themed prize (or simply the joy of winning!).  We have made a ready-to-play holiday bingo card for you to use, and yes, feel free to add your own clues.

6. Festive Cookie Decorating

Christmas cookies are a beloved holiday tradition, and decorating them with your team is a sweet way to celebrate the season. Transform plain sugar cookies with frosting, piping, and icing, or keep it simple by painting cookies with fun designs like ugly gingerbread lattes, Santa, reindeer Christmas sweaters, and snowflakes.

Make sure each team member has a cookie decorating kit delivered in advance, or source ingredients locally. Add a playful twist by awarding prizes for the most creative, most Instagram-worthy, or funniest cookies. Teams will love unleashing their creativity, and their Christmas-themed edible masterpieces can be enjoyed on the spot or shared with family and friends. 

7. Murder on Candy Cane Lane

A chilling whodunnit like Murder on Candy Cane Lane is a guaranteed hit for your virtual team holiday party ideas. Someone met an unfortunate demise during the famous winter parade at Candy Cane Lane’s festive theme park.  Your team members have to take on the roles of detectives and catch the murderer before it is too late. A dedicated host will guide your team, share clues about shady suspects (played by live actors), and help you find the culprit. 

We tried this game ourselves last year, and let’s just say the ‘dramatic Winter Queen’ nearly had the whole team accusing each other while she sipped her cocoa as if nothing had happened. Meanwhile, the ‘mysterious woodsman’ kept dropping cryptic clues that had us completely baffled. Honestly, half the fun came from our ridiculous guesses, and yes, we managed to find the dirty hand behind the heinous crime. 

8. Christmas Wreath Making 

A hand-crafted wreath making activity is one of the creative virtual holiday party ideas to ring in the Christmas season. Teams can follow along with DIY tutorials on YouTube or bring in a professional artist to lead the session and offer tips. Get creative with seasonal textures and holiday-themed accents to create the perfect festive decor. 

Have the supplies delivered to your teammates in advance or let them stock up on wreath frames, pinecones, berries, dried orange pieces, and cinnamon sticks. Not only is it fun, but your teams get to leave with a festive keepsake that they created to hang on their doors or gift loved ones. 

Want to keep the festive fun rolling? Head over to our article on virtual Christmas games to discover more fun virtual holiday party ideas. 

Hanukkah Virtual Holiday Party Ideas 🥯

This Hanukkah, honor Jewish culture and traditions with your team and bring everyone together for festive activities. Here are a few ideas to celebrate the day at your remote or hybrid workplace.

9. Hanukkah Mini Games

Hanukkah-themed games make a playful yet competitive addition to your team building virtual holiday party ideas. Plan a series of quick, high-energy challenges tailored to Hanukkah that everyone can participate in. These activities encourage collaboration and can even help your team learn a few interesting facts about the holiday. Here’s a list of interesting games that you can play with your team and also customize based on team preferences. 

Hanukkah Trivia: Test your team’s knowledge around Hanukkah history, traditions, cultural symbols, iconic Jewish figures, and festive foods. 

Hanukkah Bingo:  Mark off various Hanukkah-themed prompts on your bingo cards as called out by the host, and strike a winning combination to shout Bingooo!

Hanukkah Scavenger Hunt: Race to search for symbolic Hanukkah items such as candles, a dreidel, something with Hebrew writing, or gelt (chocolate coins). 

10. Dreidel Decorating

If you want to add a creative spin (quite literally!) to your virtual holiday party ideas for Hanukkah, we definitely recommend decorating dreidels. For those who may not know, a dreidel is a four-sided spinning top featuring Hebrew letters that stand for “a great miracle happened there. Teams can follow along with DIY tutorials or have a professional artist guide the session. 

Get creative and decorate dreidels with gelt-inspired designs, geometric patterns, or any festive touches they like. Take the fun up a notch by turning it into a “Spin the Dreidel” game. Since spinning the dreidel is a game of chance, teammates never know who will win, making it both exciting and unpredictable.

11. Latke Making

A latke-making experience is a delicious way to enjoy a Hanukkah holiday staple with your team. For those new to it, a latke is a type of potato pancake or fritter in Ashkenazi Jewish cuisine, traditionally served during Hanukkah. It can be made with grated, shredded, or mashed potatoes, and in a guided baking class, teams can learn tips and techniques to achieve crispy, golden perfection every time.

You can send curated kits with pre-portioned ingredients to team members in advance, or provide a list so everyone can source items locally. Once the latkes are ready, continue the fun with toppings and flavor pairings. Teams can stick to classics like applesauce or sour cream, or get creative with options such as smoked salmon, caramelized onions, or herbed yogurt. 

12. Themed Paint Party 

As part of your virtual holiday office party ideas, host a meaningful Hanukkah paint party for your team. Encourage participants to express their artistic side with Jewish-inspired designs inspired by dreidels, gelt coins, or stars.  Teams can share their creations, discuss their inspirations, and even integrate mini-games like Hanukkah trivia or icebreaker challenges between painting sessions. 

To ensure the session goes smoothly, it’s a great idea to bring in a professional artist to guide everyone step by step. By the end of the session, each participant will have a keepsake that can be displayed in their home, office, or even gifted to loved ones.

Looking for more Hanukkah inspiration? Explore our article for even more team-friendly Hanukkah ideas.

Virtual Holiday Team Building Activities for Kwanzaa🌽

Celebrate Kwanzaa with your team by honoring African American culture, heritage, and community values. Here are some meaningful ideas for virtual holiday party to bridge cultural gaps and bring the spirit of Kwanzaa into your workplace.

13. Kwanzaa Scavenger Hunt

A themed scavenger hunt gets your team to channel their inner explorer in a playful and exciting setting. Team members will be challenged to find a list of Kwanzaa-inspired items such as mkeka mat (checkered designs),  colorful candles, coffee beans, and more. Add tricky riddles, puzzles, or even trivia questions to make the scavenger hunt more fun and challenging.  Have an expert host tally the items presented by each team member or group and declare the winners.

Here are some scavenger hunt prompts you can use for the game:

14. Kwanzaa Trivia

Trivia is a great way for teams to celebrate the legacy and culture of African American communities in the workplace. Through a lively game session, teams can test and expand their knowledge of Kwanzaa, a seven-day celebration that honors African heritage and recognizes the contributions of the African diaspora. Trivia questions can span a variety of topics, including Kwanzaa traditions, symbols, influential figures, the seven principles, pop culture references, and more.

For a more dynamic experience, hire a professional host to lead the virtual Kwanzaa Trivia, keep track of scores, and share insightful facts along the way. You can also encourage open conversations around the seven principles of Kwanzaa or invite colleagues to share personal stories or reflections related to themes like unity, faith, collective responsibility, and economic empowerment.

15. Bracelet Making 

Creative activities for virtual holiday party, like bracelet-making, honor the resilience and heritage of the African American community. Teams can craft Kwanzaa-inspired bracelets using beads of symbolic colors such as red, green, and black. Experiment with designs like patterned stripes, mixed bead clusters or you can even add short, inspiring messages from the seven Kwanzaa principles like Unity, Creativity, or Faith. 

You can have a professional artist guide the session or, if your team has some secret craft ninjas, DIY tutorials work too. The finished bracelets make for personal keepsakes, stylish accessories, or thoughtful gifts for loved ones. 

16. Coffee Tasting

Coffee has its roots in East Africa, making a coffee tasting experience a perfect way to elevate your Kwanzaa virtual holiday party ideas. Participants can savor the rich flavors and aromas of various coffee beans from around the world. Whether it’s a bold espresso, the frothy goodness of a cappuccino, or a creamy flat white or latte, each cup brings a unique tasting experience.

Make sure kits are sent to all team members in advance, or have them source coffee blends locally or online. It’s better to have a coffee barista alongside who can help you with perfect brewing methods, teach you about the origins, processing methods, and unique characteristics of each coffee selection. 

Virtual Holiday Party Ideas for the New Year🎊

It’s been an amazing year, and guess what? It’s time to celebrate and ring in the new year. Check out these fantastic virtual holiday party ideas for work to make your celebration unforgettable

17. New Year Icebreakers

The new year is a great time for teams to reconnect after the big holiday break, for everyone to share their resolutions, laugh over holiday stories, or reflect on the year past. Lighthearted, engaging, sure to bring ample excitement and get everyone in a feel-good mood. Here are some fantastic New Year’s icebreaker questions for work.

New Year’s Reflection Questions

1. Can you choose one word to describe the past year?
2. What is one new skill you mastered last year?
3. What work are you most proud of this past year?
4. Is there anything you wish you had done differently this year?

New Year Resolution Icebreaker Questions

1. Is there a fitness or wellness goal you’re planning to work on?
2. What’s one destination you’d love to visit this year?
3. What’s a word or theme that you want to define your year by?
4. What’s one skill you want to learn or improve this year?

Would You Rather New Year Icebreaker Questions

1. Would you rather watch fireworks or wave sparklers?
2. Would you rather join a pub quiz or belt it out at karaoke?
3. Would you rather make a New Year’s resolution or just go with the flow?
4. Would you rather spend New Year’s watching TV at home or partying at Times Square?

18. Group Meditation  

The new year is an opportunity to re-energize and refocus, and a meditation session helps employees do just that. Through simple mindfulness techniques and breathing exercises, teams can release stress and anxiety that often come with new beginnings or post-holiday burnout. Regular mindfulness practice can improve overall well-being while creating a more positive and productive work environment.

You can either play a pre-recorded mediation video or hire a professional expert to guide the session. We recommend hosting a meditation program and practicing on a weekly basis to truly experience the benefits. You can also offer wellness magazine subscriptions or gift cards for health and wellness services, which employees can use whenever they feel ready.

19. Vision Board Party

A creative vision board party can set the tone for a successful year ahead while bringing creativity and inspiration to your team gathering. Teams can create DIY vision boards with collages of images, quotes, and symbols representing professional or personal goals and aspirations. Whether it’s career growth, team wins, better work-life balance, or personal milestones, this activity encourages everyone to visualize their aspirations in a fun and meaningful way.

To make the experience easy and enjoyable, make sure each team member has a vision board kit complete with a mini poster board, inspirational quotes and images, colorful markers, stickers, or washi tape. You can also go fully digital by using design software to create virtual vision boards, making it a versatile activity for both in-office and remote teams.

20. New Year Masquerade Ball

Give your New Year virtual holiday party a glamorous twist with a themed Masquerade Ball. Choose an eye-catching color scheme with classic options like all-white, black-and-white, or black-and-gold, which always look elegant on screen, but don’t fret to get creative. Encourage employees to dress up in their best suits or cocktail dresses and pair their outfits with glittering masks, feathers, sequins, or other statement accessories. 

You can even set a virtual background with dim lighting or a ballroom-inspired backdrop to create that mysterious masquerade ambiance. Host a virtual costume contest where everyone shows off their masks, a mini talent show to spotlight hidden skills, or a fun dance battle to keep the energy high. To take things up a notch, send out cocktail or mocktail ingredients along with a snack box in advance so everyone can savour on something special while celebrating together.

Looking for more inspiration? Dive into our full list of virtual New Year’s party ideas for an unforgettable team celebration.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) 

What is a virtual holiday party at work?

A virtual holiday party is an online celebration that brings remote teams together to mark a special occasion. These parties can celebrate holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas, or winter festivities, as well as cultural events such as Hanukkah or Kwanzaa. Teams celebrate holiday-themed activities like trivia, bingo, scavenger hunts, or even mixology sessions via video conferencing platforms like Zoom or Microsoft Teams. Typically, a host guides the team throughout the event and ensures everyone is engaged and has fun.  

What are the best virtual holiday party ideas for teams?

Some of the best virtual holiday games include fun activities like trivia, bingo, crafts, or culinary sessions like cookie decorating or cocktail-making. 

What are some free virtual holiday party ideas?

Set up free virtual holiday games for work, like bingo, Pictionary, Never Have I Ever, and Taboo. These can easily be played using the whiteboard feature on your chosen video conferencing platform, with no extra costs involved.

How to host virtual holiday party for teams?

To host virtual holiday party for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or New Year’s, select a video conferencing platform that suits your team’s size. Create a list of fun ideas for virtual holiday party, like trivia, bingo, cookie decorating, or cocktail mixing. If you are hosting a hands-on activity, deliver curated kits to the participants’ addresses or ensure that they source the required supplies in advance. Send out meeting invites with all the necessary details and assign a host to lead the event. Alternatively, opt for virtual team building platforms like Hooray Teams to enjoy a fully hosted experience with kits delivered in advance.  

Can you suggest some virtual holiday employee engagement ideas?

To boost employee engagement during your virtual holiday parties that celebrate a wide range of holidays, include interactive games and activities. You can host themed virtual games like trivia contests that explore different holiday traditions or a themed scavenger hunt, to name a few. These ideas will create a memorable virtual holiday experience that brings your team closer together, no matter the holiday they celebrate.

How long does a virtual holiday party usually last?

A virtual holiday party typically lasts 60, 90, or 120 minutes, depending on the number of activities planned and the size of your team. A 60-minute session is great for quick games or a single activity, while 90 to 120 minutes works well for more elaborate celebrations with holiday games for virtual work party, craft sessions, or mixology experiences.