The holidays are sure to look different for nearly every person this season. While the pandemic is changing our routines, our plans and our choices, it doesn’t have to take away our favorite holiday traditions.
Take your favorite holiday games, gatherings and activities online this year, with pandemic-friendly options that will allow you to share in some of your most meaningful past times together. Build a gingerbread house with relatives over Zoom or host Trivia night for close friends and family. Bake cookies with mom and grandmom over Facetime, decorate the tree with grandparents and dress to the nines in your finest attire for your family’s annual holiday cocktail hour, all done remotely.
You can still enjoy so many of the special moments of the holidays together, with remote technology designed to bring you closer without risking your health and safety. Here are 5 holiday games and activities we recommend for you and your loved ones this season.
Build a Gingerbread House
Making gingerbread houses is a holiday tradition you won’t want to skip, and these can easily be crafted and built over Zoom or your preferred virtual platform. Send matching kits in the mail to family members located at a distance, or make sure that members pick up or prep similar ingredients, then schedule your online meeting and go. You can make it extra fun by setting timers for specific portions and even recruiting a family member to act as a judge, once you’re finished.
Bake Cookies
Baking cookies together remotely is a wonderful way to carry on your holiday baking traditions with loved ones who you can’t be close to this year. Set up your computer or device on your counter and be sure to have the same recipes and ingredients in both locations. Bake one or two batches at a time, then come back together for a family zoom to enjoy your cookies with hot cocoa or tea together.
Holiday Cocktail Hour
If your family usually enjoys sparkling cocktail hours during the holidays, you can recreate them virtually to keep the tradition alive. Dress up in your finest attire and meet up remotely for bubbling cocktails and colorful conversation. Share cocktail recipes to mix up together from your respective homes, and make sure to include a mocktail for any members who might abstain.
Holiday Trivia
A fun way to gather and stay connected is by hosting a holiday trivia night. One person will have to choose to be the host, and they’ll have to prep all of the questions and answers in advance. Zoom gives you the most flexibility with technology to enable breakout rooms for teams, etc. Once you’ve prepared your questions and logistics, you’ll want to decide if you want to prepare slides or other visual features to amp up the authenticity of the game. Determine how many rounds you’ll play, and you’re ready to gather your group and go for it!
Virtual Tree Decoration
Decorating the tree with grandparents or siblings located at a distance is still possible, but with a virtual touch. Schedule a Zoom or Facetime meeting, gather your decorating supplies and have your tree up and ready to be decorated. Then, turn up the holiday music and decorate together! You can take turns hanging ornaments at respective houses and take extra time to reminisce over those homemade ornaments from years ago. Prepare warm mugs of cocoa and cozy in for a meaningful experience.