Which virtual Christmas party is right for us?

Many people will be asking themselves this question this year. What kind of virtual celebration would you like to host, and for how many participants? First, it is important to clarify the scope at the beginning of your Christmas party planning. Should a joint activity be planned, or perhaps even a team game? Or would you rather entertain the staff and set a formal tone? Would you like to send your team a Christmas party care package? Once these questions are answered, it is also important to determine whether the event will be completely remote or a hybrid event. Once the number of participants, the content framework, and the event format are set, you can plan the exact agenda and all the contributors involved.

Idea 1: Virtual Christmas Dinner

A digital gala dinner—2021 is going to be a very special year for Christmas parties! How about sending the annual formal Christmas dinner to your colleagues' homes this year? Host a fantastic 3- or 4-course meal accompanied by fine wine and festive table decorations, all held virtually with the company—it’s a great way to bring holiday spirit into the home office! The virtual Christmas dinner can be wonderfully complemented by a virtual magic show or an online concert. You could also hire a show chef to explain exactly how your team can prepare the gala menu at home and plate it like a fine-dining restaurant. Online conference tools like Zoom also allow you and your guests to use a custom event background. This way, everyone can really set the scene digitally and enjoy the benefits of a virtual Christmas party. You can find current offers for virtual Christmas dinners as well as a complete concept.

Idea 2: Virtual Christmas Cooking

Are you planning a team cooking session? Should everyone prepare their own Christmas meal in front of the screen following a recipe? Then the Christmas cooking box is just the thing for you! Virtual Christmas cooking differs from a gala dinner primarily in the level of preparation. While the Christmas gala dinner provides dishes in pre-cooked sous-vide form, you and your team cook the Christmas cooking box entirely from scratch. All ingredients are curated fresh in the appropriate quantities and shipped directly to each employee. You can even book your cooking box online here. Have fun with this team activity, and we wish you a wonderful digital Christmas party—your heycater! team. Click here for our Christmas cooking boxes.

Idea 3: Virtual Christmas Cocktail Party

Shake virtual Christmas drinks right from your home office! If you're up for some virtual fun, host an online cocktail class as your Christmas party. Hire a bartender, have a cocktail box with all the ingredients and tools sent to everyone's home, and simply celebrate the party remotely. We recommend trying several different cocktail recipes or various versions of a single cocktail type. You can make the experience even sweeter by including the cocktail set with glasses as a Christmas gift. It’s sure to be an unforgettable evening with a fantastic atmosphere! Click here for online cocktail party offers and a complete event concept with a cocktail mixing class.

Idea 4: Virtual Wine Tasting

Kicking off the holidays with wine—that sounds like an evening of refined culture! All joking aside, how wonderful is it to taste different wines together with an experienced sommelier, round off the experience with a perfect cheese pairing, and enjoy this sophisticated tasting experience despite the virtual setting? Have the wine pairing sent to your team's remote offices and discover new wines together. Create a festive atmosphere and give the evening a fitting theme. Include a personalized wine menu and delight your team with a virtual wine tasting. It’s a great way to make your Christmas party a true culinary treat, even digitally!

Idea 5: Virtual Après-Ski Party

For the party animals on your team, a virtual themed party might be just the thing for your Christmas celebration. Bring the après-ski vibe straight into your living room with ugly Christmas sweaters, homemade punch, and a synchronized 90s playlist—it sounds like the kind of Christmas party you won't want to miss. To get even closer to the mountain hut experience, your team can opt to wear 80s ski gear and goofy goggles. Take your laptop out to the balcony, garden, or rooftop terrace and turn your virtual Christmas party into an epic event! Of course, you can get the perfect punch and party snack care package from us.

Idea 6: Virtual Secret Santa

Remember how much fun Secret Santa was? This year, we’re doing it virtually. Come up with a little something and send a gift to your Secret Santa recipient’s home office. Take the time to prepare a gift personally, or have a gift delivered to your team member. Exchange your gifts in a festive virtual reality living room with some Christmas music playing in the background. Our event experts say: “It’s just as special as an in-person event—everyone loves receiving a personal gesture.” Virtual “white elephant” gift exchanges are also popular. Get creative with something funny—a bizarre tool, an ugly lamp, or an old-fashioned ceramic figurine to match the event theme? This virtual Christmas event can be a huge amount of fun.

Idea 7: Virtual Copacabana Christmas Party

A Christmas party on a dream beach—wouldn't that be nice after the travel-restricted year of 2020? If you’re longing for warmer temperatures and want a theme for your virtual company party, you’ll have a blast organizing a virtual Copacabana party. Throw on a “Carnival in Rio” outfit or wear your favorite Hawaiian shirt. Mix up some Copacabana cocktails remotely and have a Brazilian cooking box delivered to your home party location for the virtual event.

Idea 8: Virtual Retro Party

Virtual Retro Christmas—there are no limits to your imagination for an online celebration. Spruce up your home office or choose a retro background on Zoom and host your virtual Christmas party with a retro look. You can virtually enjoy retro Christmas-style drinks with little umbrellas, deviled eggs, Hawaiian toast, or a savory meat hedgehog. It gets truly retro if you dress up for the virtual Christmas party in front of your screen. In keeping with the retro theme, you can dig out your bell-bottoms, put on some colorful sunglasses, and wear a nice patterned shirt. As a team, you can hold an online contest for the coolest costume and send the winner a small prize.

Idea 9: Virtual Christmas Bakery

For the baking enthusiasts on your team, a virtual bake night is a perfect team event for your 2020 Christmas party. Baking delicious cookies and decorating them together, swapping recipes, or even booking a pastry chef for your virtual Christmas party—the baking fun can be organized in many different ways. The nice side effect: your virtual bakery will sweeten the evening for your loved ones at home afterward! Click here for our offers for virtual baking classes and for our complete event package.

Idea 10: Virtual Escape Room

A virtual escape room is the ultimate party adventure for your Christmas celebration! It’s guaranteed to add some excitement to the party. Solve a crime, defeat a virus, or crack another virtual puzzle—an escape room isn't just a perfect team-building game in person; it also offers a real sense of adventure for online activities. For your Christmas party, you can give your challenge a fitting XMAS theme and customize the puzzle formats. Give your online Christmas party an incomparable sense of adventure and organize a virtual escape room! Our tip: This team activity can also be wonderfully integrated into a larger virtual Christmas party agenda. Inquire about your virtual escape room directly here or book a complete concept with a virtual escape room as part of the program.

6 more virtual Christmas party ideas from heycater!

1. Virtual Christmas theater
2. Virtual Christmas karaoke
3. Digital Christmas dance contest
4. Virtual Christmas scavenger hunt
5. Craft beer tasting as a virtual Christmas party
6. Oculus Rift Christmas party

Organizing an online Christmas party: a checklist

Many event managers wonder how the planning process for a standard Christmas party differs from a virtual one. Our checklist covers the most important points you should consider when planning this online event. Here you will find the key to-dos for organizing your virtual Christmas party.

How heycater! supports you with your virtual Christmas party

heycater! specializes in hosting virtual events and virtual experiences. Through blog articles and webinars, we help companies plan their virtual events. At the end of 2020, the demand for virtual events is particularly high. At heycater!, you can commission them as a holistic concept. Our experienced team of event managers will help you find, plan, and host the right concept. We support you with the organization of food, gift, or event boxes, as well as with the content-related work for the event.