The most magical time of the year is here!

You might have already decked the office out in bells of holly, but how about your remote employees? A virtual celebration at Christmas brings the festive spirit to a remote setting, no matter how far away your members are.

So let’s get started!

What benefits do games bring to virtual teams?

No matter how many times Christmas rolls around, there is always a little stress during the end-of-year rush. Games and teambuilding activities at Christmas give your remote teams a chance to pause, reflect and spread holiday cheer when it’s needed.. 

Organizing a virtual Christmas games event is best done when the big deadlines are cleared so that everyone is ready to swap spreadsheets for sleighbells (and eggnog). Here are a few tips for a perfect virtual gathering at Christmas: 

• Try to keep the time zones of your remote employees in mind where possible. The neighbors might not appreciate Mariah Carey on karaoke at 2 am local time!

• Keep the event short and sweet, like a gingerbread biscuit. One to two hours is perfect.

• Dress to impress, encouraging Christmas outfits and costumes, or do the complete opposite and ask everyone to join with their ugliest Christmas sweater.

• Send out a heads-up of the activities before the event starts. This lets everyone prepare and know what to expect beforehand (but keep a few surprises!)

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If you have all these points covered, it’s time to prepare Christmas games that your virtual employees will love!

26 Christmas games to try with your teams

Here are 25 of the best games and activities to bring your remote employees together this Christmas. Try them out as part of your virtual end-of-year celebration:

1. Name that Noel tune

Kicking off our list is an ode to Christmas musical anthems. Start your virtual meeting with a compiled playlist of classic and modern hits. Designate teams, then play a few seconds of each song for them to guess the title and artist (one point for each!). Most people know the classics instantly, so don’t be afraid to get into some more obscure and funny hits, like All I Want For Christmas Is My Two Front Teeth. Everyone loves talking about their favorite Christmas song, so try this out for an instant mood lifter that brings smiles all around the virtual meeting.

2. Virtual Secret Santa

A workplace Christmas-do wouldn’t be the same without Secret Santa. With a little bit of planning and shipping, it’s a doddle to bring the joys of Secret Santa to your virtual teams. It’s the perfect way to bring people together and is especially useful as an icebreaker for office newbies.

Carry out Secret Santa by organizing it yourself, or take out some of the stress with a service like Elfster. Create pairs who exchange gifts, set a budget or a theme, and let the happy shipping begin! Have everyone open their anonymous gifts during your Christmas virtual get-together, asking people to guess the person who posted it.

3. Festive “Would you rather?”

A virtual game of “Would you rather” is a really useful icebreaker that brings a barrel of laughs to a virtual meeting. A Christmas question game revolving around made-up and silly scenarios can generate a positive buzz in a virtual setting. Some of our best ones include:

• Would you rather wear a Santa suit every day in December or dress as an elf all year round? 
• Would you rather have a snowball fight with your team or a gingerbread house showdown?

Crack open our list of questions and enjoy some lighthearted dilemmas. People can open up about their preferences while getting into the holiday spirit!

4. Gingerbread house-building workshop

Unleash your team’s creative capabilities one biscuity brick at a time with a virtual workshop for gingerbread house making. Before the virtual event, send out materials in a kit to deck the whole house out. Once online, set a timer and watch as everyone assembles their holiday masterpieces.

Rejoice in the final results and give out awards for “Most Creative,” “Sweetest Theme” and “Probably Won’t Taste the Best” awards. Everyone gets to keep their creation, letting them share another gift with their family and friends. Lay the foundations of festive team building with a workshop of gingery goodness!

5. “The Naughty List”

This activity is a little more playful for your virtual team members. Spice up your virtual Christmas holiday party with a playful twist on confessions. As the virtual meeting starts, the host reads out a list of cheeky holiday misdeeds like “Have you ever re-gifted a present?” or “Did you sneak a peek at your gifts as a kid?” A guilty person needs to switch off their camera, and the last person left on screen earns their spot at the top of the “Nice list.” Wrap up the game with a reward for your winner. This lighthearted game brightens up a virtual gathering as everyone shares hilarious holiday memories.

6. Jingle bell dress-up

Go ahead and make a big deal out of Christmas spirit week and encourage every person to dress up in their most festive outfits. Some of the best suggestions we have for costumes include:

• Santa/Mrs. Santa Claus
• Gingerbread man
• Elves and Santa’s little helpers
• A giant roast turkey
• Christmas pudding (may need raisins!)
• The Grinch

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Make a Christmas contest out of the virtual gathering and really raise the holiday cheer. Award participants with awards for whoever best sleighed the runway! 

7. Ugliest sweater competition

Leading on from our previous jingle bell dress-up, hold a competition that celebrates the ugliest Christmas sweaters available for public purchase. Many companies now celebrate the most horrendous Christmas sweaters with over-the-top knitwear. They really do make them as tacky and loud as possible, bringing comedy to the wintery seasons. Let each person strut their stuff on camera, describing the ugliest design they could find. Add categories like “Most over-the-top” and “Most Creative DIY Sweater” to spark laughter and showcase everyone’s unique (and questionable) fashion senses.

8. Merry mixology masterclass

Shake up the virtual setting with a festive session of mixology. Send out packages before your virtual event with ingredients and a recipe booklet. During the virtual meeting, consider bringing in professional mixologists who know their way around a kitchen. Holiday-themed drinks are a great choice, like a peppermint mojito or cranberry spritz. 

Keep non-alcoholic options available too to let everyone get in on the holiday spirit (without the spirits). Cinnamon wassail and or even white hot chocolate makes for a solid festive choice without booze. Team members can make enough to share with their loved ones when outside of the virtual meeting. Show some employee appreciation with a mixology masterclass!

9. Santa’s workshop

Santa never completed all of his tasks alone. This is a fun role-play activity that pitches ideas to Santa’s workshop. Create small teams in your virtual group. One team is made up of Santa, Mrs Claus, and Santa’s Helpers (these are your judges). Each other team needs to brainstorm a new holiday toy or product and sell it as best they can to the judges, complete with a name, features, and why it deserves to be made.

It’s reminiscent of the TV show Shark Tank but with a cheery, bearded Santa rather than a scary investor in a business suit. Harness an entrepreneurial spirit in a fun, festive way with a game of Santa’s workshop!

10. Christmas talent show

This festive season, create a festive showstopper with an activity that shows off everyone’s hidden talents. Ask each person to think long and hard about one unique skill they can show off; anything from singing, dancing, poetry, or comedy sketches. For this activity, you definitely want to show massive appreciation for their efforts and help them overcome any shyness. Awards like “Most Heartfelt Performance” and “Funniest Festive Act” can come with prizes.

Include fancy festive dress and virtual backgrounds to add to the atmosphere and you’re in for a great virtual meeting. A Christmas talent show is the perfect way to unwrap the season’s joy!

11. Baby Claus guess-a-thon

Christmas is a very nostalgic time for most people. We all cherish our childhood photographs at Christmas time. Why not use photos for a virtual game that brings hilarity to your festivities? Before your virtual celebration, ask each member to submit a baby photo of themselves from a Christmas gone by (if they’ve got photos while in a costume, even better!). Each person fires their guess about the mystery baby in the photo. Finally, ask the culprit to share the answer and award points. Create awards for “Most Unrecognizable Baby” and “Cutest Little Claus” and dish out prizes for your favorites. Make it a jolly holiday for everyone involved.

12. Cheery holiday playlist

Have you got your Christmas playlist sorted yet? Make a group activity out of it with your virtual team members for collaborative fun! Ask everyone to share their all-time favorite holiday hits From timeless classics like “Jingle Bell Rock” or a wildcard like “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” no tune is too outrageous for your seasonal selection.

Make your playlist collaborative as a Jam Session on Spotify and crank the volume up while you get into virtual teambuilding activities. Rotate DJs over the session and by the end, you’ll have a playlist so good, it’ll make Rudolph do the running man!

13. Virtual holiday icebreakers

Warm up your virtual Christmas party with holiday-themed icebreaker activities. Icebreakers are the best way to bring people together in a lighthearted way and are especially great for new office members. Stick seasonal spins on “Two Truths and a Lie” or a holiday Confessions-style game where everyone can admit to their biggest Christmas fails. 

Quick, festive games generate laughter and an atmosphere of playfulness, turning awkward silences into a sleigh-load of fun. By the end of it, everyone will feel closer together as part of a squad. 

14. “Christmas in my Town” icebreaker

Open up the opportunity for people to speak about their hometown with another icebreaker activity. In this game, each person needs to think of their favorite local holiday tradition, quirky festive fact, or a picture of how their town looks at Christmas.

They’ll start to sound a bit like a tour guide or holiday agent, so ask each person at the end to vote for the best-sounding locale. People love sharing info about their home, so make the most of this with an activity where everyone learns something new about their colleagues!

15. Holiday candle-making classes

Our next activity is sure to bring a warm glow to your virtual Christmas event. A virtual candle-making session is a great idea for a group gift to your remote teams. Sending out a luxurious candle-making kit can make for a fabulous group gift for your remote teams. Bring in a candle-making host for the occasion, or dive in headfirst with the box instructions.

Candles make for a beautiful gift, so each member has something to give to a loved one at the most special time of the year. Throw a virtual candle-making class with your teams for a wick-edly good time!

16. DIY ornament making

Leading on from our candle-making class, everyone would absolutely love a session making festive ornaments to hang around their home. Use a pre-made package complete with baubles, glitter, paint, and ribbon for decorative beauty. As everyone makes their ornament together, share tips, tricks, or any funny mishaps in real time.

Make a bauble bonanza and take your best pictures with your ornamental decorations. Share your fab photos across the company’s group chat and spread festive positivity across the festive season. 

17. Make a company Christmas card

Modern collaboration tools make teamwork as smooth as eggnog. Why not use a virtual setting to design Christmas cards as a group? Services like Canva and even Google Slides let each virtual attendee add their own surprise to a corporate Christmas card. 

Add doodles, motivational messages, or even an office inside-joke for a lovely way to wish someone the best this Christmas. Team photos with ugly sweaters are a nice touch too. Spread some cheer with your virtual teams for deeper connections and 

18. Holiday newsletter

Snap your best photos from your virtual Christmas event, and add them to a group-made newsletter for the whole company. Every member can contribute to a section with a short story, festive recipe and even a couple of Christmas memes. 

Include a few puzzles for the reader (Christmas Sudoku, anyone?) and a few awards like Elf of the Month and Office Angel for an added fun touch. You’re on to a complete winner with a festive holiday newsletter. Enjoy!

19. Blind hot cocoa-tasting

This one will go down a treat with remote workers, especially those in cold locations. In this game, everyone becomes a cocoa detective, gulping their way to sweet, chocolatey victory. Spend a little time researching and packing the best, most exotic flavors, and send out these delicious collections to your virtual teams. Number each drink, but don’t include the label.

During your virtual event, have each person try every number and jot down their guesses. Try to keep the more extravagant flavors for the end. Reveal each flavor and award points to the most correct guesses. Connoisseurs of hot chocolate rejoice!

20. Twenty questions to guess the gift

Make the most of a Secret Santa event by adding a little game for your teams. After they’ve opened up their gift, they keep it secret from the rest of the group. The group as a whole gets to ask 20 questions to a person to work out what the gift was. Using yes or no questions, their goal is to identify the gift before it’s announced. Questions like “Can you wear it?” and “Does it smell like Christmas?” will help your detective skills.

21. Caroling karaoke

Add a touch of magic to the Christmas work party by firing up a remote karaoke machine. Christmas karaoke works as a Zoom activity (making sure you share screen and internal sound). Create your own playlist jam-packed with Christmas classics and let your teams sing their hearts out.

Everyone loves getting together and bonding over music. Create a no-pressure environment, where you celebrate vocal talents as much as off-key notes, and you’re set for a fun time. Costumes go down well in karaoke too. Whether pitch-perfect or tone-deaf, this activity will have everyone laughing and feeling fa-la-la fabulous!

22. Holiday recipe guide

Did your family ever have unique recipes that always felt special during Christmas time?  This is the perfect chance to bring people together over a shared love of food or drink. Sharing recipes as a group establishes stronger bonds over the Christmas period. Anything from your Grandma’s gingerbread cookies to spiced mulled wine will work wonders.

Get everyone to post their recipes to the group before your get-together, and share the results in the virtual meeting. Compile the list and give marks to each recipe, keeping the best recipes for next year too! Cheers to that!

23. Virtual Christmas light tour

For people who live in neighborhoods with houses covered in glowing Christmas lights, ask your virtual teams to snap some pics and share them with the group. City centers and bustling Christmas markets are great places to photograph during Christmas time. Team members can head out to the tourism hot spots to see how they’re decorated. The photos give each virtual team member a snapshot of their colleague’s community, promoting closeness in your teams.

This activity brings a twinkle to your virtual meetup and promotes the joys of glamming up your home with ornate Christmas decorations. Try this activity out this Christmas!

24. Christmas Scattergories

Simple team-building games can be a great tool for bringing virtual teams closer together. Put a festive spin on the much-loved game of Scattergories for a great way to open up your virtual meeting. Just choose your letter and swap the usual topics for Christmas categories, including:

• Christmas movie titles
• Gifts you’d think about regifting
• Something found in Santa’s workshop

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If the letter was “S,” you’d probably find a list of answers like Scrooge, socks and snow globes. The more creative you get, the better! No repeated answers are allowed in the game, so create teams for the more challenging categories you think of. Use this Zoom teambuilding game to get everyone thinking outside the box this Christmas.

25. Thankful tidings - gratuity writing

Here’s an activity that promotes the core of the Christmas spirit, which is to be thankful for the things we have. Pause the chaotic holiday hustle for a moment and set the stage for something more heartfelt and meaningful. Christmas is a time of the year when many remote workers are far away from their families back home, so this could be a great chance to help them find things they’re grateful for in everyday life. This is a great activity for creating positive affirmations and personal reflections.

Create a public journal as a shared document, or encourage people to make their own personal pieces. Not everything needs to be shared as a group, but promote wellbeing with some cues to get them thinking. These could include:

• Who in your life has brought you joy or support this year?
• What’s your favorite memory of celebrating the holidays with others?
• How can you simplify your holiday season to focus on what matters most?
• What’s one skill or habit you want to carry into the new year?

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26. Advent calendar making

For millions of people around the world, an advent calendar marks the start of the festive season in a magical way. Send out beautiful advent calendars to your virtual employees well before December starts. Of course, you won’t be seeing your teams every day leading up to Christmas, this is more for them to enjoy in their free time. 

If you have the time before December, you could even create a DIY advent calendar as a virtual group. Here you can get really creative with the objects behind each window, like chocolates, candles, trinkets, and baubles. Virtual colleagues could post their calendars as gifts in pairs. This is a wonderful way to brighten up the holidays, one window at a time!

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