Who says that you need to leave the house to have a great time this Christmas? With so many ideas for Christmas parties during the COVID-19 pandemic, there is no reason why celebrations need to be cancelled. Even though we cannot be together, there are many creative ways to host a Christmas party this year.

    As we can’t be sure what Christmas will be like this year, we have put together a list of some great Christmas party ideas to enjoy, despite the pandemic.

    Play Christmas games

    Are your family big on-board games or themed games? Here are some fun Christmas games to play with your family, whether it is just with your household or on Zoom call:

    • Pin the nose on the reindeer
    • Board games
    • Jigsaw puzzles
    • Christmas bingo
    • Christmas treasure hunt

    Decorate a gingerbread house

    Now, this one is especially great for the kids! Why not have some messy festive fun trying to create your very own gingerbread house? You could even host a virtual competition with your family and friends to vote for a winner!

    Host a virtual Christmas party

    Just because we may not be able to visit and get together in person this Christmas, it does not mean that we can’t see our loved ones. If your family is up for it, set-up a Zoom chat and invite everyone along to your virtual Christmas party.

    To keep the fun going, make sure that you have lots of fun things planned! For example, you could host a Christmas karaoke night. Some other ideas for an online Christmas party include:

    • Virtual bingo
    • Virtual Christmas quiz
    • Christmas dinner party
    • Festive charades

    Virtual Secret Santa

    One of the traditions of Christmas is having an office Secret Santa every year. Although it may not happen in the same way it usually would this year, that doesn’t mean the tradition should be forgotten.

    Rather than just hosting it with work colleagues, you could also consider hosting one for friends and family too. To host a virtual Secret Santa, all you need to do is set a budget and use a Secret Santa generator to draw names. Next, give everyone a deadline for when they must have bought their gift. Make sure you leave enough time for people to either post the gift or place it outside their recipient’s front door. Instruct everyone to not open their gifts until you are all logged onto the virtual party together.

    You may even want to consider having an email-only rule for Secret Santa too. This means that the participants would have to email over their gift. But what type of gift can be emailed? Consider options like vouchers or gift experiences that can be emailed with codes, instead of a physical gift.

    Rule of six office party

    Just because we can only meet in groups of six, it does not mean the office Christmas party has to be cancelled. Why not consider hosting Christmas parties for all the different departments? To make things simpler, you could even opt to host it straight after work in the office rather than a venue. Keep things simple and fun by having some nibbles and music after work!