Christmas will be a little different for everyone this year. Like most, working from home has probably become the new normal so there’ll be no showering the office with tinsel and no bonding with random colleagues at the Christmas party! You can still get into the festive spirit from the comfort of your own home and we’ve come up with some virtual Christmas activities, with added inclusion tips to ensure a fun, festive period for everyone to enjoy…
Secret Santa
Elfster is an online Secret Santa generator that works by having each participant fill in their details online, with these details then being used to provide individuals with their own gift recipient. Why not get your team of colleagues involved, you could even host a special Zoom for the big unwrapping or have a prize for the funniest gift? However you choose to do it this is a perfect way to spread some Christmas cheer!
Inclusion Tip: Make sure that all participants agree on the budget – you don’t want anyone stressed or out of pocket – you could even choose to share homemade gifts! It is also important to make sure everyone has enough time and the means to send a parcel in the post!
You can get started with Elfster at: https://www.elfster.com/home/
Christmas Networking
Did you know that Zoom allows you to create small networking rooms within your larger session? Why not get your whole team or even business together for some virtual networking! This is a great way of allowing people to mingle with colleagues they do not usually work with (just like at a Christmas Party)!
You can find out how to set up your breakout rooms here: https://support.zoom.us/hc/en-us/articles/206476093-Enabling-breakout-rooms
Inclusion Tip: Meeting new people can be daunting for some, why not provide some discussion starters or ice breaker questions? Have people introduce themselves and provide a short, visual description of themselves for anyone visually impaired, and don’t forget captions!
A Christmas Quiz!
Sometimes you just need to have some good old-fashioned fun with your work colleagues and a Christmas Quiz is a great way to do this! Have each person responsible for their own round for a diverse range of questions- you could always introduce a prize for the winner!
Inclusion Tip: Have each person write up their questions on a ppt (or similar) slide to share whilst they’re reading their questions. Make sure that everyone has the means to record their answers in the best way for them and that they have enough time to do so!
A virtual Christmas Dinner
You might be used to going out with some of your colleagues for a Christmas themed lunch. With so many amazing food/ restaurant kits launched this year there is no reason why you can’t do that from the comfort of your own home! We have recently enjoyed Jimmy Garcia Catering – their amazing service allows you to have easy prep food kits delivered to each individual address, with attendees preparing their meal before all enjoying their food together on Zoom or a platform of choice!
Inclusion Tip: Try to keep your dishes as simple as possible and make sure you find out any allergy/ dietary requirements ahead of time!
You can find out more about Jimmy Garcias Catering at: https://www.jimmygarciacatering.com/
A Christmas Cocktail (or mocktail!) Party!
Food is not the only thing you might miss enjoying with your colleagues and luckily it is also not the only thing that can be delivered to your door! Why not get your team together for a Christmas tipple and reflect on this whirlwind of a year!
Inclusion Tip: Like with the food options you should try to keep things simple. Make sure there are non -alcoholic options for people who don’t want to drink!
We’ve found some great websites for Christmas beverages for under £20 per person:
· Send a Negroni: https://www.sendanegroni.com/products/the-tropical-one
· World of Zing: https://www.worldofzing.com/collections/cocktail-gifts/products/prosecco-cocktail-collection
· Taste Cocktails: https://tastecocktails.com/shop/the-margaritas-mini-kit/
After the year we’ve had we all deserve a bit of Christmas fun and we hope we’ve inspired some Christmas festivities for you and your colleagues! If you need help organising any of the above or have some upcoming event plans for 2021 please do not hesitate to get in touch for a free consultation.
From all of us here at Attendable, we wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
