Office xmas party ideas (COVID edition)

[Firstimer703]

I've been thinking about how I can provide a Christmas celebration with my team when it's likely we won't be able to meet in person.

My strong belief is that the xmas party provides an opportunity to celebrate the contribution and achievements of the team and is an important morale booster.

This year it seems more important than ever but almost impossible to deliver! As such, I thought an ideas thread could be a fun idea.

Here are a few to kick off:

1. murder mystery game
2. zoom karaoke
3. silent disco (everyone has own music)
4. office zoom panto
5. xmas awards

Any others? Let's be creative!

Urghh!
All of those are my idea of a nightmare, I hope you're not my work colleague/boss! 😁

I think the only thing that would work would be some kind of zoom quiz. Although I would not want to do this with my workmates!

Give them a bonus instead. I’m no party pooper but everything you’ve mentioned is awful. Sorry.

We're looking at doing a Christmas movie 'slumber party' type thing so work provides the film and a movie night hamper with cocktail cans, snacks, etc. We'll all have the film on, zoom meeting during, eat snacks, chat shit and have a drink. Plan is to have some quiz questions about the film while it's on and you can win random prizes (everything from time off to box of sweets). After that people who want to carry on can but no one has to.

Organised ‘fun’ with colleagues is torture.

If you want to reward your team, let them have some extra time off with their families.

I want to give you credit for coming up with ideas, but they do sound hideously painful.

Just get them all together on teams and ask that 45 yo case in marketing to put on some bangin choons from the ibeefa days that he's always on about. They'll sound great over a laptop mic. Keep telling them all what a great time they're having and that the booze consumed doesn't count as drinking alone. In fact, say this repeatedly in a quipping sort of way. If anyone tries to leave, say "not until your taxi gets here" as this is hilaire lol. Get them each to find something blue, something that looks like a pear, something dead etc. Approximately an hour in, try to set up a private chat with that foxy bloke who knows how the photocopier works, fail, and broadcast your best chat up lines to your entire team before accidentally losing connection and then spending the night crying on the sofa with your face in the family sized quality street tub. (It's ok, they're not as big as they used to be.)

A friend of mine had a tutored wine tasting as part of a work thing - they were all sent wine then came on zoom and a wine person (is there a name for a person who does wine tastings?) came on and led the tasting. They loved it and it's not too 'organised fun.' I liked the slumber party idea up thread too but might be a pain for colleagues with small kids etc.

How about order takeaway pizza for home delivery whilst zoom quiz. An hour then your done.
Alternatively send them each an amazon voucher of the amount you would normally spend as a gift.

Buy everyone a case of wine and leave them alone ✅

I find some of the replies here really sad. My team have always been very social and we've continued this through lock down. We have weekly online 'morning tea' catch ups (not work related) and have celebrated online together both new babies and a wedding.
I've already started to buy bits to send to everyone in December so we can have an online Christmas party together, I work for a company where bonuses are not possible - anything I buy comes from my own money.
Not for everyone I know, but this is how we've maintained our team spirit when we can't be together.

Surely one of the few positives of a pandemic is not having to go to a work Christmas party that is absolutely not an important morale booster

Top marks for being a good boss.

Karaoke would be my idea of absolute hell to be honest. And the silent disco would be excruciatingly awkward

Things I would like and participate in:

Zoom quiz.

Send everyone a just eat voucher and bottle of wine a few days before and have a virtual dinner.

Murder mystery (Macmillan do one I think )

A catchphrase type game.

Secret Santa, amazon edition !

Might do Zoom quiz but the other ideas not so much.

@BaublesAndGlitter love the slumber party idea! Thanks for sharing.

@user1536853684 thanks, I am trying!

@LonnyVonnyWilsonFrickett wine tasting could definitely be an option.

@Cuddling57 pizza always a winner!

@Bellyfat I agree with you. My current team hasn’t been together since March and we are all really missing each other. I’ll be with a new team by Christmas but I know they are finding it hard too. I just want to make sure they have a chance of doing something nice together. Especially given most of the rest of xmas is cancelled!

We were sent a box with booze and most of the ingredients to make cocktails including a shaker/measures (which we needed to return) etc. We just had to provide glasses, a knife and matches/a lighter.

A mixologist (we have these in our company) talked us through each cocktail, with breaks in between to chat and drink. There was one person who organised a quiz and we had 1-2 questions between each cocktail, but it was generally very casual.

@WeAllHaveWings that sounds really lovely.

I've had a look at some Airbnb 'experiences' and there seem to be a few good options there for team socials.

Compulsory fun is shit.

I'd feel suicidal if I was expected to join in with most of these. Thank the lord my colleagues aren't 'fun' and have lives of their own!

@katy1213 @Hedgehog44 it isn't compulsory fun, I'm just trying to think of ways to bring people together (for this that want to). Is there something you would want to do or do you just not want to have time with others at all? There are a lot of people who do actually miss their work colleagues so I'm looking for ideas of what might bring them together in a year that has been pretty shit all round!

Zoom karaoke and a silent disco sound like my idea of hell.

On the other hand a film night could be pretty okay, and the murder mystery night have potential (though I might be so disappointed not to be doing it in person?) I think it would have to be designed for zoom.

My favourites from the thread so far are the cocktail night and the wine tasting.

I'd probably also enjoy some sort of cookalong, but I think this could be difficult as you might have very different preferences from team members.

No, I'm more than happy amusing myself! And so often things like this end up semi-compulsory, with coaxing and chivvying if you refuse. If people say thank you, but no thanks - that's what they mean!
But for all those who enjoy zoom karaoke - I hope you have a lovely evening. Without me.

Depends on your age range - in my early 20's I would have loved your ideas, now in my 30's my internet would have mysteriously gone down for the duration of the 'party'.

Our local city is doing a local produce hamper, which I'm going to ask if our social budget can be spent on this.

You could see if the virtual escape rooms are still available to book.

Personally, now I am able to see people (my friends who I chose to be around) face to face, I don't really want to be stuck in front of a computer trying to listen to multiple conversations with a member of the group who isn't able to sort out their mic and everyone's voice echoes through the call.

Good luck!

OP, maybe you could run a secret poll (note: secret) to find out how many actually want an event.

I have recently worked alongside a manager who was adamant these type of events were wanted. They really, really weren't. Majority dreaded them. But of course he was the manager, so people in his team went along with it.

I do understand that some want them and some don't, but surely your team includes some from both camps?

I am so lucky to work somewhere that doesn't have many people pushing these type of events. A slumber party with work colleagues??? Just no.

There were plenty of "office slumber parties" at my last work.
Let's just say extramarital affairs were rife.

I think you are putting a lot of pressure on Christmas. Why not do a couple of practice events on Zoom and see how it goes?

Maybe an office quiz or just an evening drinks party might be a good place to start.