One of the best things about the holidays is the Christmas gatherings. We all look forward to that special time when we get together with family, friends, co-workers, and loved ones.
No matter how hectic the whole year has been and how little time you may have had to see each other, Christmas is that beautiful season that gives us a chance to spend time with those near and dear to us. It’s a time to reconnect, bond, and have fun with each other! It’s also a way to create new memories and make the holidays even more special.
Our ideas of organizing these Christmas parties and gatherings may have changed, especially in these last couple of years, but that doesn’t mean they’re any less memorable or fun! Zoom Christmas gatherings are an excellent way for people to celebrate the holidays together and socialize while maintaining a safe distance. It’s also a great way to connect with people who may be located in different parts of the globe!
With the emergence of Zoom parties, many ways have come about to make your virtual gathering even more fun and memorable. Zoom Christmas games and ideas are activities you can all engage in virtually over Zoom during your party. These are things you can all have a blast participating in and make you feel more connected even if you are physically apart.
If you are looking for cool and awesome things to do at your upcoming holiday gathering, check out our list of 27 of the most amazing Zoom Christmas games and ideas!
Zoom Christmas Games And Ideas
After a long, challenging year, you deserve to have a wonderful time unwinding with loved ones. Celebrate the season together and rock your Zoom Christmas party with these games and ideas that everyone will enjoy!
1. Holiday Trivia Games
Trivia is a top choice at any gathering or party. We all enjoy a good game of trivia, and putting the holiday season and trivia together is a sure-win combo. Holiday trivia is the funniest activities you can do via Zoom for Christmas gatherings.
Some examples of categories you can use are films, songs, food, and traditions. To prepare the questions, you can either choose to use an online trivia generator or appoint someone who can prepare the seasonal, Christmas-themed questions for your game.
The next step is to divide the group into teams, and to add another festive flair, have each team think up a holiday-themed team name! Of course, you can also choose to play the trivia game in a non-team format — this way, everyone in the virtual party can answer and collect points individually. Either way, it’s a great way to test each other’s knowledge of the holidays! Take note: This game can get competitive, escalating the intensity and the fun!
Tip: Holiday trivia can get very spicy, but if you want to spice things up a little bit more, you can mix some penalties or consequences! Think up little consequences that the players must do each time they get a wrong answer, like singing out their fave (or least fave!) Christmas carol!
2. Christmas Scavenger Hunt
No Christmas games and ideas list would be complete without a long-standing fave: The scavenger hunt! This game is an excellent way to energize a virtual gathering and get everyone moving even while in the comforts of home. No matter the age, scavenger hunts spark a lot of excitement (and competition) and lend themselves to a highly entertaining time. And to add, another great thing about it is that it works just as well as a Zoom game too.
To play, make a list of holiday-related items that players must find within their home within a set time (like 30 seconds, for example) and show it on screen. The host will mention the items one at a time. You can even award points for 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place. Who amasses the most number of points at the end wins the game.
Some item ideas for your Christmas scavenger hunt include Santa hats, gift wrapping paper, wrapped Christmas presents, Christmas tree ornaments, eggnog, holiday candies, Christmas stockings, and more!
A twist you can add to the usual scavenger hunt is to make it a holiday photo scavenger hunt! Here’s how you can play this:
- Divide the group into teams and put them into breakout rooms. Before the players of each team enter their breakout rooms, send a link for prompts in the chat.
- Give the teams a set time (5 minutes? 10 minutes? Up to you!) to find the photos on the list or to stage them.
- When the time is up, all players head back to the main room.
- Choose a handful of teams at random to compete in every photo category. The players can share their screens for the photos or drop the file in the chat.
- You then choose the winner for each category and give out points. The team who amassed the most points at the end wins!
3. Holiday Charades
Charades is another tried and tested fave in any gathering! Holiday charades inspire creativity and imagination, all with a festive touch.
For small groups of people (15 and under), you can split the group into about 3 or 4 teams.
Each player will be given a set time to act out their clue, and the members of their team can shout out their answers. The game master will establish a way to test the subject to be acted out to the player, who will then try their best to act out the clues so that their teammates can correctly guess! The game master can utilize the Zoom spotlight feature so that the player doing the charade will be showcased.
For larger groups over 15, holiday charades can still work for many players over Zoom. We’ve got some tips to help you facilitate this game for more people:
- Opt to have a select number of designated charade performers. Doing this allows the game master to text or message a limited number of players only for their charade subjects.
- Utilize the Zoom Spotlight feature so that the charade actors will be seen by all who are playing.
- Instead of shouting out the answers, choose to have them give out their guesses through the chat. The first person to type out the correct answer wins.
4. Christmas Bingo
Bingo is a classic activity that’s been around for a long time. And it’s making a well-deserved resurgence in the party scene. In fact, it’s among the top virtual party activities this year! Holiday events are no exception — Christmas Bingo is fast becoming a fave in the Zoom holiday gathering arena.
Here are a few tips for Zoom Christmas Bingo:
- Make sure that you are able to send bingo cards to all the players before the game starts. You can either print out the cards and send them via mail to your guests along with the invite to the party; email a pdf of the bingo card to each person that they can print out prior to playing; see an image or photo of the bingo card that they can print or even just view via a phone or tablet.
- While playing, the game master should utilize the Zoom spotlight feature to show the bingo square being pulled.
- As players check their cards to find out if they have a match, the game master should type in the Zoom chat box the numbers or images that have been called out already so that everyone is aware of which have been called out. Players should have their own markers to mark out their matches on their cards.
- Continue playing until someone calls out – or types out – BINGO! Confirm that the Bingo is legit, and then clear the cards to begin a new round.
- A typical Bingo game runs for about 5 to 10 minutes, sometimes even 15 minutes, so you can play about two to four games so that guests have more chances of winning.
5. Holiday One Clue Word Guess
The Holiday One Clue Word Guess works best for smaller teams. A player will be given a phrase or a word to get their team to guess. The catch is that they can only drop one clue about the word or phrase their teammates have to guess. The player will be given three tries to get their team to guess the mystery Christmas word or phrase correctly.
However, the number of points their team will get decreases with each attempt. For example, correctly answering the 1st clue can get them 10 points, the 2nd clue can get them 5 points, the 3rd clue can get them 3 points, and so on.
If the team fails to get the correct answer after three tries, the other teams can make one guess.
6. Watch A Classic Holiday Movie
Watching movies is always a fantastic group activity. Taking it online does not remove any of the magic you get from watching a film together. So get the gang together online and celebrate with a classic holiday film. Sync your screens and enjoy the movie-watching experience together. It’s easy — just select one person who will be sharing their screen with the rest of your group.
You can even make things more interactive by enabling the Zoom chat so you can discuss the film with each other while watching and share your comments on what you feel are the movie’s best moments – and maybe even the worst moments too. The choices are endless! Some film suggestions are Home Alone, Elf, A Christmas Story, and even Love, Actually.
Tip: Because these movies have rightfully earned their “classic” status, it would be no surprise to find out that you and the others in the group may have watched the chosen film already many times before. So to make things more exciting, why not pause the movie randomly and see who can recite the following dialogue?
7. Christmas Pictionary
Who doesn’t adore a good old game of Pictionary? It’s a classic game that’s beloved by people, young and old. And this is pretty easy to elevate into a festive game too. You can add a twist to this party staple by focusing on holiday-related things exclusively. This will undoubtedly result in a ton of laughter and fun.
But how to make it Zoom-ified?? Simply split the group into two teams, and then you can use a tool such as the online word generator to help. Then, utilize Zoom’s ‘Whiteboard’ tool and let the Christmas Pictionary fun begin!
Tip: By now, you’ve all probably played Pictionary countless times, and you may all be pros by now. So why not up the challenge, especially for the experts? One way you can do this is by instilling a rule that only five moves can be made to sketch the clue.
8. Virtual Secret Santa
When it comes to Christmas activities, Secret Santa is by far among the most popular and beloved of all. You can choose to involve a person from the outside who can assist or select an app to help organize the exchange. And yes, this classic gift exchange can translate perfectly to a virtual setting.
Whichever way you choose, each person will be paired with a recipient beforehand. Set a price range and get each person to anonymously list small gifts that you wish to receive. Then, on the set date, the group can all meet up via Zoom and then open the gifts!
Tip: To add even more mystery to your Secret Santa, you can agree the use one uniform address (the party host, or your office HQ, for example) on the return label. This way, the gift giver’s identity is a mystery until Zoom day! Also, if you want to shake things up a bit, why not go for a theme? This can allow for more creativity and challenge people to get more imaginative when it comes to choosing their presents!
9. White Elephant Exchange
White Elephant Exchange is an increasingly popular gift swap activity. In it, participants give each other quirky gifts or gag gifts and have a chance to steal each other’s gifts. It may seem a little complicated to pull off online, sure, but it’s actually not that hard to do so.
Just request each participant to send photos of their presents to the party host, assign a number to each gift, and then have the participants click the image of the numbered boxes so that its contents are revealed to them.
Keep track of which participant clams which gift throughout the activity, and at the very end, have each gift holder mail the present to the right recipient.
10. Name That (Christmas) Tune
Name That Tune is a game that never fails to bring smiles to everyone’s faces. Music fans and those who adore the holiday season will enjoy playing this! And it’s very simple to organize too. You simply need to appoint a game master or moderator. Next, open up a Christmas songs playlist. Then split up the group into teams and let the musical fun commence!
The game master will play very short excerpts of each holiday tune. A team will have to guess the title of the song. If you want to make things even more challenging, you can have the teams guess not just the title of the song but also the artist who sang it.
Tip: Pre-recorded music is easy, but it can be quite a cliche already. So switch things up, and then prepare your vocal cords to hum the tunes that the others will have to guess.
11. Holiday Film Charades
Yes, we already mentioned Charades above — but this time, it’s with a twist! Combine your love for Charades and Christmas movies with the Holiday Film Charades! In this one, players will act out iconic scenes or moments from beloved holiday movies.
Split the group into small teams, and let your inner actor or actress come out and play! Use the Zoom spotlight feature to ensure that all eyes are on the person acting out the Christmas film.
12. Holiday-Themed Jeopardy
There is a reason why most people have dreamt of going on Jeopardy at one point or another. It’s simply one of the most beloved games out there and has been for a long time. With Holiday-Themed Jeopardy, you can make your dream come true from the comforts of your home.
Just divide the group into two teams. Choose a game master who will give out the categories and questions and challenge your knowledge of all things Christmas! From the most popular holiday beverage to the Christmas plant that inspires lip action and more, you’ll all have fun finding out just how well-versed you are in this festive season.
Tip: You can make the game more personal – it will be an excellent way for you all to get to know each other more. Simply throw in some questions about the players and their Christmas traditions into the mix, or perhaps even some funny holiday stories too!
13. Ugly Christmas Sweater Contest
Tis the season to be jolly… and for ugly Christmas sweaters too! Who doesn’t love to whip out their ugly Christmas sweaters once the season rolls around?! So grab them from the closet and show them off like they’re the hottest items on the catwalk right now.
Compare them, share how you found the ugly Christmas sweater of your dreams, and vote on which one is the quirkiest of them all! Sip eggnog or hot cocoa as you virtually chat with each other over your holiday sweaters and more.
Tip: Sometimes, just an ugly Christmas sweater is not enough. Why not amp up the holiday spirit by matching your sweater with some Christmas socks or bottoms or even some quirky and festive headgear?? Don’t be shy and show it all off!
14. Christmas Word / Song Scramble
Another simple yet entertaining party game that works well on Zoom is Christmas Word / Song Scramble. The players will just have to unscramble the letters to form the correct Christmas word or phrase, or title of the correct Christmas song.
The game master will use the Zoom spotlight feature to showcase the scrambled letters. Answers will then be placed in the chat. Play a round of about 10 – 20 scrambled phrases or words. If there is a tie, you can play a tie-breaker round!
15. Holiday Mind Match
The Holiday Mind Match is a good game for smaller groups. All you need is a whiteboard and marker or a pen and paper to play along. It’s easy to play too.
A player will be chosen, and a word is given to that player with a blank, either before or after. The key is to correctly guess the word the player will put in the blank. The other participants will write their guesses on the whiteboard or paper. Then, when time’s up, the participants will raise their boards or papers simultaneously to show their answers. After this, the selected player will reveal their answer. Whoever matches get the point.
You can opt to have one selected player for this throughout the game or take turns. Whoever racks up the most points at the end wins Holiday Mind Match!
Also Read: Holiday Gift Guide 2022: Ideas for Everyone on Your List
16. Christmas Corners
If you are looking for a Zoom party game that is a little less common than the rest, then Christmas Corners may be the activity you are looking for!
Okay, so you may think it won’t work well online because the real Christmas corners game relies on being all in one space. In each corner of the room, an image is placed. Christmas music is played, and everyone starts dancing around the room.
Everyone should go to one of the four corners when the music stops playing. An image is pulled randomly, and all those standing in the area where that image is placed are eliminated.
Well, this can work virtually too! Just have a virtual dance party on Zoom, ad then once the music stops, have each participant choose one of the four images that were given to them.
The participants will then place their chosen image on their screen, and if the host selects the image they chose, they are out of the game. Continue playing until one person emerges victorious.
17. Christmas This or That
Christmas This Or That is one of the simplest and easiest to play of all virtual holiday games. To play this game over Zoom, the game master will read a series of prompts. Participants will then respond with their choice for each prompt. They can answer via reactions on Zoom, type on the chat, or hold up their response on a piece of paper.
It’s an activity that can help people find commonalities and spark some energetic discussions! It can also inspire a send of solidarity within the group.
18. The Naughty List
Christmas is all about the naughty and the nice. So why not dip your toes onto the naughty side for a bit? The Naughty List is a cool Zoom game that can get players to spill their guts and fess up to some festive misdeeds.
To play, everyone begins with their cameras turned on. The game master will read a series of “naughty deeds.” Participants who are guilty of the deed have to turn off their cameras.
At the very end of the game, the participants who are still shown on screen are those who are on the “nice list” and will be the ones to receive prizes.
19. Never Have I Ever: Holiday Edition
Still dipping into the naughty or nice pool, spice up your Zoom gathering with a rousing game of Never Have I Ever: Holiday Edition. Never Have I Ever is among the most popular games at parties, both in person and virtual. After all, it’s a great icebreaker and can lead to many juicy reveals.
At the beginning of the game, each participant will hold up to ten fingers or “reindeer antlers.”
Participants will take turns making a statement that begins with “Never Have I Ever,” and players must lower one finger for every statement that they have already personally done.
Tip: Spice it up even further by making players drink every time they admit to doing one of the naughty deeds!
20. Santa’s Workshop
If you are familiar with “Shark Tank,” Santa’s Workshop is a game that puts a festive spin on that. Players will pretend to be Santa’s elves and pitch toys in Santa’s workshop. To begin, divide the group into teams. Put them in breakout rooms, and then the teams will have a set time to pitch the most incredible toy possible. After this, all the participants will go back to the main room and pitch their invention to a panel of judges consisting of “Santa,” “Mrs. Claus,” “Rudolph,” and so on.
The judges decide if they will green-light the toy to be made. At the end of all “pitches,” they will choose the “popular toy of the season.”
21. Babes in Toyland
Babes In Toyland is a great excuse to get all those baby photos out in the open! Before the Zoom party begins, participants should send the host photos of themselves as kids on Christmas.
The game master or host will then make a slideshow that will be shared during the Zoom gathering. Participants will guess who each kid is!
22. Who Am I?
This one is a simple guessing game but with a festive twist! Before the virtual party starts, send out a survey to all the participants. Put some holiday-themed questions, like:
- What was the gift you always wanted to get but never got?
- What was the most outrageous or embarrassing thing that ever happened to you during the holidays?
- What is the most memorable gift you received?
In the Zoom party, the host randomly selects an answer from a respondent and reads the answer aloud. And so on. The other participants then have to guess who wrote the answer! The first to guess correctly gets the point.
23. Holiday Hangman
Who hasn’t played hangman at one point or another?? Holiday hangman is a festive version of this classic word game. To play during your Zoom gathering, make some slides with spaces for each letter of festive phrases.
You can use titles of Holiday films, Christmas greetings, Christmas carols, or other seasonal things. Every round, show a slide on the screen. Make sure the annotation tool is enabled so that participants can write in letters and draw, part by part, the hangman.
Tip: If the traditional hangman seems a bit dark for the festive season, substitute it with a crude Santa or Christmas tree!
24. Guess The Gift
What is Christmas without a little holiday game of deduction? Remember when you were a kid, and you loved trying to guess what was inside the wrapped present?? Well, this is similar to that! Each round, participants things up a gift. The other players will then ask questions to narrow the options and guess the gift.
Limit the number of questions to just about five to ten, or put a timer for each round. The person who guesses correctly wins the round. Another fun way to play this is to have each person wrap up some unusually shaped things in the house and then challenge the others to guess what is in the package!
25. Holiday Plot or Not
Holiday films are a staple of the season! To play, the game master will read out summaries of Christmas films. Participants will then vote on whether each summary is a plot of an actual Christmas film — or just a figment of the imagination! Holiday Plot Or Not is a way to test everyone’s knowledge of the genre and have a little fun with the sometimes outrageous yet always heartwarming plots.
26. Awkward Family Holiday Card
One of the more unique activities to play on Zoom Christmas gatherings is the Awkward Family Holiday Card. To begin, divide the group and put them into breakout rooms. Give the teams about five to ten minutes to make the most awkward Holiday card photo possible by using the whiteboard feature.
Make sure to give the teams a warning about a minute before closing the breakout rooms to that they will have ample time to finish their cards and take a screenshot. Afterward, everyone will return to the main room, and each team will present their cards. The group, or a set of judges, will decide the most awkward of them all.
27. Misheard Christmas Carols
What’s a holiday gathering without a bit of silliness? Misheard Christmas Carols is a fun little game where participants will guess the title of a holiday tune based on misheard lyrics. To play, the game master or host will share their screen and then show a card on which printed a misheard carol lyric. The first participant to guess the correct name of the Christmas carol will score a point.
Another fun way to play is to divide the group into breakout rooms. Ask each team to create the most clever misheard lyric of a Christmas tune. Then proceed to the main room, sing out your answers, and vote on the hilarious one.
FAQ’s
A Zoom Christmas party is a virtual gathering hosted on the video conference platform called Zoom. You can interact and engage in activities and games with your friends on a video call. It is a great way to connect with people even if you are physically apart.
Prepare a program that includes the games and activities you would like to do during your virtual gathering. Brainstorm and list it all out beforehand! After this, set the time and date, schedule a Zoom meeting, and send out the invites.
It may be hard to pinpoint exactly what will work because no two groups of people are the same. But the best activities will get everyone engaged and interacting with each other!
The best way to make your gathering stand out is to make it unique and memorable. You can make a background that’s unique to your party. You can also require participants to wear their most festive and Christmas-y outfits!
The fantastic thing about a Zoom Christmas party is that it allows everyone to celebrate the holidays together and spend time together, even virtually. No matter how far apart you may be, Zoom Christmas parties will enable you to still be together during this magical season.
Distance is no longer a hindrance to being with your loved ones during the holidays – thanks to Zoom Christmas parties, you can unwind, celebrate with each other, and strengthen bonds while creating new memories.
Conclusion
With these fantastic Zoom Christmas games and ideas, you’ll be able to create new memories with your loved ones, tho you may be miles apart. Bring joy, laughter, and a good time to your Zoom Christmas parties with these awesome games and ideas!