Safely Celebrate the Holidays with Your Team
An end of the year holiday office party doesn’t have to be entirely off the table. They’ll just look a little different this year. The good news is most of your office traditions should be pretty adaptable. Plus, you have an opportunity to mix and match new ideas too.
Interactive Secret Santa
Secret Santa gift exchanges can be a great way for your team members to get to know one another and feel connected. When you’re working with socially distanced and remote holiday celebrations, it’s an easy tradition to adapt and make a little more interactive.
Another great example is Less Accountings traditional gift exchange. For their holiday party, the entirely virtual team is given $20 from the company to do a virtual shopping party for one another.
They make it playful by being in the same video call, taking turns shopping for each member as a group. The trick being the recipient is muted while they’re being shopped for. In other words, they can’t steer them towards or away from ideas, the team is coming up with without some serious mime skills.
Get-to-Know-You Trivia Games
If your team has been remote for a while, it can get pretty easy to be disconnected with the ones you’re working with. Holiday “office” parties can be a great way to remedy that. This year, you can have a Zoom get-to-know-you game night and at the end send out everyone’s name.
You might even do a take on Pictionary. Give get-to-know-you prompts as individuals draw their answers and team members guess. This is sure to get some laughs.
No-Business Chat Boards
With so many online communication tools, why limit to quick exchanges to get business done? Try creating a Holiday recipes chat inviting your team to swap favorite recipes. Or do a Holiday meme dump board! You may even have team members vote for a Meme of the Week, rewarding members with virtual crowns or small gift cards.
What’s great here is these can be adapted and used throughout the entire year, improving your company culture and community.
Holiday Scavenger Hunt
Send out a scavenger hunt with holiday-themed finds and challenges. Team members can send in photos and videos (maybe in a non-business chat board?) of them with a Snoopy lawn decoration, baking holiday cookies, or singing a holiday song in their car. This is a great one for a socially distanced activity because your team is open to interpreting exactly how to get it done.
Launch an Ugly Sweater Contest
This one is easy and a total classic. Have team members wear their ugliest Christmas sweater during a Zoom activity or check-in and hold a VOTE. DIY sweaters are encouraged! Just maybe remind them not to borrow a sweater from a friend, telling them it’s for an ugly sweater contest…
Group Service Challenge
Another great way to get connected and boost morale is to encourage and enlist your team in a service challenge. You might’ve specific types of service in mind or set them up with a service hour goal. Then, do a virtual meet-up sharing your experiences!
Yes, It Matters
You may think with everything else going on, making a virtual or socially distanced holiday party happen doesn’t matter. Everyone would understand it can’t under the circumstances. But it does! Holiday or company parties are known for boosting morale and developing comradery. Your team needs those moments to relax and chat together or you risk losing any sense of an actual team.
Even if you need to host your holiday celebrations completely remote, boosting up your team is well worth the effort.