Updated: August 27, 2022

20 Virtual Christmas Party Ideas in the UK

Here is our list of the best virtual Christmas party ideas in the UK.

Virtual Christmas party ideas are activities, games, and events that you can include in an online holiday party. For example, hosting online carolers, building a gingerbread house, and playing Christmas trivia. These activities aim to give the party attendees a fun and memorable Christmas experience.

Virtual Xmas parties are online versions of office Christmas parties. These tips fall under the umbrella of virtual holiday party ideas and Christmas team building. These events often include remote team Xmas games.

This list includes:

  • Zoom Christmas party ideas for the UK
  • virtual Xmas party ideas for the UK
  • remote Christmas party ideas for the UK
  • virtual office Christmas party ideas for the UK

Here we go!

List of virtual Christmas party ideas in the UK

Christmas activities and games add to your virtual festive party. From Never Have I Ever to Virtual Santa, here is a list of virtual Christmas party ideas for teams and groups in the UK.

1. Chocolate Making

Chocolate has an important place at Christmas. You can celebrate the holiday by making chocolate with your team. Several companies in the UK host chocolate-making sessions with a Christmas theme. For example:

  1. Virtual Chocolatier Workshop: This workshop is an excellent option for your virtual Christmas party. The Zoom-led class is suitable for groups of all ages. A professional chocolatier will lead the group in chocolate crafting for 60 to 90 minutes.
  2. Virtual or Live Christmas Chocolate Making: This chocolate-making experience is a fun activity for your Christmas party. A trained chocolatier will lead the experience on Zoom for one to three hours. Your group will have the chocolate kits sent to them before the event starts. You will learn about the basics of chocolate bars.

Activities involving chocolates are tasty virtual Xmas party ideas for remote groups in the UK. After the experience, the guests will have treats to enjoy while the party continues.

For similar activities, check out online chocolate sampling classes.

2. Christmas-themed Escape Room

A virtual escape room is one of the most fun virtual party ideas in the UK. You can apply a Christmas theme to make the game even more fun for your guests. Many companies in the UK offer Christmas-themed virtual escape rooms.

For example:

  1. B.R.U.C.E. Saves Christmas: In this Escape room, the Elves needed a plan to save the kidnapped Santa. The Elves hired a private detective named B.R.U.C.E. You will control the private detective to investigate the kidnap of Jolly old St. Nick. The cost for each game is €20.
  2. Christmas Crisis: Evadere designed this game with beginners in mind. The game is ideal for a small group of about six. The experience will last for about 60 to 90 minutes. Your group will play as a team of elves to ensure that the Christmas presents gets out before the specified time.

You can divide large remote teams into smaller groups. Then each team can compete for the fastest to leave the escape room. However, if your team is small, then the team members can play as just one team.

Check out more online escape rooms.

3. Christmas Trivia

Christmas Trivia is one of the easiest games to play during online Xmas parties. Simply split the group into teams, and send those teams to breakout rooms with forms to complete. Or, ask players to type responses into the chat. You can also use apps like Kahoot! to facilitate gameplay.

Here are some starter questions:

  1. When did the UK experience the first Christmas celebration?- The 11th century
  2. What is the first rule of the Code of Elves in the movie titled ‘Elf’?- Treat every day like Christmas
  3. What country first started putting up Christmas trees?- Germany
  4. Who invented Christmas crackers?- A baker named Tom Smith

For each question answered correctly, the player or group wins a point. At the end of the game, the group or player with the highest point wins the game.

Here are more Christmas trivia questions.

4. Virtual Santa

Christmas is not complete without Santa. You can surprise your team by hosting a Santa live at your virtual party. The group can then engage in fun activities with Santa. For instance, you can sing carol songs together, do Christmas charades, or play icebreaker games with Santa.

You can also have a magician or comedian dress up as Santa so that St. Nick can entertain your guests.

5. Christmas Dress-up Party

A dress-up Party makes the online Christmas celebration more fun. Guests can dress up in Christmas costumes like the Grinch, Santa, elves, angels, or snowmen. Attendees can even design virtual backgrounds to stay on theme. These outfits will make your party more festive. You can award the most creative costume design with a prize.

Here are instructions for running online costume contests.

6. Name That Tune Christmas Edition

Playing the Christmas edition of Name That Tune is one of the most fun Zoom Christmas party ideas for music lovers in the UK. To play the game,

  1. First, ensure you organize the Christmas tunes in advice. You can include tunes of Christmas songs from different eras.
  2. Test your sounds on your device before you start. Ask for feedback from your guests on whether the sound is too high, too low, or has other issues.
  3. Decide if the guests will play individually or in teams.
  4. Customize the rules to fit the experience.

You can award different points for different styles of naming the tune. For instance, one point for naming the tune and two points for creating parody lyrics.

At the end of the game, the team or player with the highest point wins. You can add a rewarding prize for the winner.

7. Virtual Christmas Bingo

Word games like Christmas Bingo are fun virtual Xmas party ideas for the UK teams. The first step you need to take is to prepare cards before the party.

If you choose to generate your Bingo card, then you can let the card theme center around Christmas. For example, Christmas movies, Christmas music, or Elf bingo. To play virtual Christmas bingo,

  1. Distribute the card to the party attendees a day before the party or on the day of the event
  2. When playing, the players should mark the box containing actions that the players once performed.
  3. Set the rules of the game. The winner can be the player who completes the row horizontally, vertically, or diagonally.
  4. The first player to complete a row will shout “Bingo” and wins the game.

Here is a starter template we made for your game:

You can award the winner with a prize to make the activity more fun.

Learn more about how to play Online Team Building Bingo

8. Online Carolers

One of the most fun virtual Christmas party ideas in the UK is to surprise your guests with a group of carolers. You can hire Christmas carol singers to sing nostalgic Christmas songs from organizations like Alive Network. These singers make great segues between party events.

Feel free to ask partygoers for song requests.

Also, if your company’s budget will not be enough to host virtual singers, then you and your group can play the carolers and serenade each other.

9. Virtual Christmas Scavenger Hunt

A scavenger hunt is one of the interesting remote Christmas party ideas for the UK. To play a Christmas-themed scavenger hunt:

  1. Get a list of items you want the players to find around their homes.
  2. To make the game more challenging, use clues instead of words. Players will try to use the clues to figure out exactly what to find.
  3. Include Christmas-related clues.
  4. Set the time of the game. The duration can range from 5 minutes to 30 minutes.
  5. If a player finds an item before the time runs out, then the player wins a point.
  6. You can award different points for different items.
  7. The player with the highest point wins.

You can customize the game to your preference. For instance, if a player refuses to return after the time runs out, then you can deduct a point.

Check out some Christmas-themed scavenger hunt templates.

10. Christmas Movie Session

Organizing a movie session is a great Christmas party idea. You can have the planning committee choose an interesting Christmas movie to watch. You can also have the attendees vote on the desired film some days before the party. Some interesting Christmas movies set in the UK are:

  1. Last Christmas
  2. Nativity
  3. The Holiday
  4. Love Actually
  5. Boxing Day
  6. A Boy Called Christmas
  7. Lost Christmas

You can find these titles on a streaming service, play the film, and share your screen with the attendees using a video conference platform like Zoom.

For extra interaction, end the movie session with a small discussion and evaluation of the movie you just watched.

11. Gingerbread House

Building gingerbread houses is one of the most interactive virtual Christmas party ideas for groups in the UK. To do this activity:

  1. Have attendees prepare the gingerbread shapes, candy bits, and bobs for the event. You can send the gingerbread recipe or kits to guests before the party.
  2. You can give the guidelines for building the house. You can also ĺet the guests make any desired design.
  3. At the end of the time limit, allow participants to take turns showing off their creations while spotlighted on the video conference app.

After the activity, open the floor for discussion. Let the guests share funny opinions on the gingerbread houses. For instance, the attendee’s house is likely to crumble first, the best gingerbread house design, or the messiest design.

12. Virtual Christmas Tour

Taking a tour at Christmas time is one of the fun Zoom Christmas party ideas for the UK teams. You can find a local tour guide who can take you through the Christmas experience in a chosen city within the UK or around the world.

With a virtual Christmas tour, you do not have to celebrate the festive season only in your area. You will get to experience what Christmas feels like in other places from the comfort of your home.

You can also have guests lead DIY tours by sharing pictures or videos of Christmas decorations in their home cities.

13. Christmas Wishes

At the start of the party, your guests can share Christmas wishes with fellow attendees. Christmas wish sharing is a great icebreaker to get attendees comfortable before the event.

You can even turn this activity into a trivia game. At some point in the event, ask the guests questions relating to their wishes. For instance:

  1. Who wished for a trip to Paris?
  2. If Santa were to give someone a lifetime supply of strawberries, who would it be?
  3. Who wished for a new house?

The first attendee to make a correct guess for a question wins a point. In the end, the attendee with the highest point wins.

14. Never Have I Ever

Never Have I Ever is a popular virtual icebreaker game. You can as well include this game in your Christmas party agenda online. However, instead of the regular Never Have I Ever, make it a Christmas-themed Edition. For example:

  • Never have I ever sent Christmas cards.
  • Never have I ever cut down my Christmas tree.
  • Never have I ever sat on Santa’s lap.
  • Never have I ever re-gifted the same Christmas gift.
  • Never have I ever built a snowman.

To play the Christmas version of Never Have I Ever,

  1. You can ask the guests to set aside small cookies.
  2. The number of cookies will depend on the number of prompts.
  3. Then have a designated caller read out the actions.
  4. The attendees will eat a small piece of cookie only when they hear an action they have once performed.

With this Christmas icebreaker, your guest will have fun sharing their experiences and relatable behaviors.

Here is a list of work-safe Never Have I Ever prompts.

15. Santa Party Hat

You can fill your virtual Christmas party with creativity by making Santa party cone hats. The materials you will need are:

  • Red and white construction paper
  • Pencil
  • Scissors
  • Glue
  • White wool
  • Decorative embellishment

Follow these simple steps to create your Santa Cone Hat:

  1. Draw a triangle on red construction paper with a pencil.
  2. Cut out the triangle shape.
  3. Fold and glue the triangle to form a cone shape.
  4. Cut and roll some wool together to form a ball. Then glue the ball of wool to the top of the cone.
  5. Make two tiny holes on opposite sides of the cone and attach a string to the holes.
  6. Add other decorations.

You can make the cone hats at the start of the virtual party. Then the guests can wear their hats for the rest of the event.

16. Christmas Gifts

Presents give Christmas a festive feeling. You can incorporate gift sharing in your virtual Christmas party in the following steps:

  1. Divide your team members into a group of two or three.
  2. Then ask the team members to create a special gift for other team members in their groups.
  3. The team members can explore their creativity to create any gift. The gift can be a customized Merry Christmas Card, a virtual gift card, or even a masterclass subscription.

Gift sharing during a virtual party can help your team members get closer and bond while promoting the Christmas spirit.

For more advice, check out these guides to doing virtual Secret Santa swaps and remote white elephant exchanges.

17. Christmas Cake Decorating

You can decorate a cake with guests at an online Christmas party. First, ensure that the attendees have the cakes ready. You can let the guests use any type of cake they want. Also, let the guests get their desired decorations before the event. For instance:

  1. White, red, and green icing
  2. Red fruits and berries
  3. Santa cake decoration
  4. Snowman cake decoration
  5. Christmas tree cake decoration

After decorating the cake, you can create a poll for guests to vote for the winning design in different categories. For example, the most creative design, the funniest design, or the messiest design.

18. Virtual Christmas Karaoke

Karaoke does not have to be a casual evening get-together. You can also have a karaoke session during a virtual Christmas party. Ask the guests to prepare their favorite Christmas songs. You can find Christmas songs with lyrics on YouTube.

When it is time to play a song, share the lyrics on your screen so that other guests can joyously sing along with you. Remember to put your sound on before you play the Christmas song.

19. Santa Portrait

One of the fun virtual office Christmas party ideas for the UK is to engage in a drawing session. Simply ask the guests to prepare sheets of paper and pencils. Then let each guest draw Santa in any way, and take turns sharing the drawings. You can also send groups into breakout rooms to create a team drawing using the video conference platform’s digital whiteboard app. If you use this method, then be sure to remind artists to take a screenshot of the masterpiece before returning to the main room!

Teams can also use photo editing software to make a fun and festive holiday image.

Aside from Santa, you can include other drawings of a Christmas tree, Elves, or a snowman. You can award prizes to the funniest and most creative drawing.

20. Virtual Christmas campfire

A virtual campfire is a great idea for a nighttime Christmas party. During the virtual campfire, guests can engage in fun virtual Christmas activities like singing carol songs, telling Christmas stories, playing icebreakers, and dancing to Christmas songs.

Instead of a real fire, you can ask the guests to bring flashlights or a scented candle to set the mood.

Check out this guide to virtual campfire activities.

Conclusion

Christmas is a period to celebrate with family, friends, and colleagues. Adding activities and games to your Virtual Christmas party in the UK is a great way to spice up the event. As a bonus, the activities and games also serve as excellent team building ideas for small and large teams.

Feel free to check out this list of hybrid Christmas ideas and this guide to virtual holiday party invitations.

FAQ: UK Virtual Christmas parties

Here are answers to questions about virtual Christmas party ideas in the UK.

What are some good virtual Christmas party ideas for UK companies?

Some good virtual Christmas party ideas for companies in the UK include virtual Christmas campfires, Christmas dress-up parties, and Virtual Christmas Bingo.

How do you plan a UK-based online Christmas party?

To plan an online Christmas party in the UK, you should first decide on the activities and games. Then determine the time for the event and the virtual platform to use. You should send invitations to guests you want to invite. If the virtual party includes activities involving kits, ensure the attendees get their kits before the event. Start the event on the chosen video conferencing platform and have fun with the attendees.

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Author:

People & Culture Director at teambuilding.com.
Grace is the Director of People & Culture at TeamBuilding. She studied Industrial and Labor Relations at Cornell University, Information Science at East China Normal University and earned an MBA at Washington State University.

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