10 Last Minute Virtual Christmas Party Ideas
By: Nia Simone Mcleod
Tags: Life, Christmas, Culture, Friendship, Black Women

Photo by Ekaterina Bolovtsova from Pexels

Social distancing doesn’t have to get in the way of your holiday festivities. You’ve just got to get creative. The last minute virtual Christmas party ideas below will help you quickly create a safe, virtual holiday celebration that will have your guests looking back on 2020 fondly — and that’s saying a lot.

1. Have a Virtual Holiday-Themed Murder Mystery Party

Who doesn’t like their hot cocoa with a side of murder? There are many Christmas-themed virtual murder mystery packages online including There Might Be No Christmas, Fruitcake, Mistletoe, & Murder, and A Christmas Mash-Up Murder.

2. Curate a Holiday Playlist — Then Jam Together

Invite friends and family to collaborate on a playlist (through YouTube, Spotify, Apple Music, etc.) and add their favorite holiday songs. Then, invite them to a Zoom party where you all can jam to the playlist you all created.

Be sure to remind that one cousin they can’t just post Mariah Carey’s “All I Want for Christmas is You” 34 times — no matter how much you may agree that would be a fire playlist.

3. Host a Virtual Nailed It!-Themed Bake-Off

Send everyone in your party the same Pinterest pin/recipe and see who can recreate the look of it the closest. Show off your creations on a video call when everyone’s done.

Whether you get your Duff Goldman on or are just happy you made something edible, a Nailed It! bake-off is bound to spread joy.

4. Have a Virtual Christmas-Themed Paint and Sip

With the assistance of a YouTube painting tutorial like this one, bring your favorite people together on Zoom to create a Christmas-themed painting.

Everyone can BYOB and talk smack about how they’re the next Jean-Michel Basquiat — it’s just that no one knows yet.

5. Play a Holiday Version of Never Have I Ever

Y’all really want to see who’s naughty or nice? Play a holiday-themed version of Never Have I Ever.

Here are a few examples of Never Have I Ever questions:

Never have I ever regifted a Christmas gift.

Never have I ever drank spiked eggnog.

Never have I ever watched A Christmas Story.

6. Take a Virtual Cross Country Christmas Trip

This year many Christmas activities are going fully virtual. For example, you can visit Ogden, Utah’s Christmas Village or stroll through the streets of Manhattan to see the Rockefeller Center Christmas tree.

Invite friends and family to experience it with you over Zoom, share your screen, and chat it up without worrying if your car may be getting towed.

7. Have a Christmas-Themed Karaoke Night

The Beyoncés of your family/friend group will rejoice when they see that you’re planning a Zoom karaoke night.

Karaoke versions of Christmas songs are all over YouTube, including my personal favorite: *NSYNC’s “Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays.”

8. Try a Holiday-Themed Virtual Escape Room

A virtual escape room will get everyone into the competitive spirit as you beat puzzles and figure out riddles.

Examples of virtual holiday escape rooms include TeamWorx’s Holiday Escape Room and Mystery Escape Room’s Remember the Ghosts of Christmas.

9. Host a Recipe Exchange

Have each member of your party share their favorite holiday recipe with the group (email, Google Doc, Pinterest board, etc.). During the virtual party, you can eat your favorite recipes together.

You’ll be able to share parts of your culture, like a potluck, without dealing with the peer pressure of trying your coworker’s raisin-ridden potato salad.

10. Host a Holiday Movie Night

Use a service like Teleparty to host a holiday-themed movie night with those near and far.

If you’d rather not watch a movie, watch holiday-themed episodes of your favorite television shows. For example, I love watching holiday episodes of The Office.