After a year spent working hard and tackling goals, your team deserves a chance to kick back and celebrate. And holiday parties are opportunities for people to connect outside of the demands of their daily to-do lists and loosen up for a little bit of fun together.
Fortunately, you don’t need to be co-located to let the good times roll. These Miro templates will help you host a virtual or hybrid holiday party that will send everybody into the new year with stronger bonds and a hefty dose of enthusiasm.
1. Pull your team together
Virtual holiday parties are convenient, but you lose the visual of seeing everybody gathered together. With this Happy Holidays, Take a Seat template by Todd Rice, CX Lead for Volkswagen, everybody can virtually take a seat at the same table.
Your participants can grab a virtual chair, plate, food, and a few festive accessories. They’ll place them around the table on the Miro board — along with a photo of themselves.
While it’s not quite the same thing as being together in the same room, this virtual gathering gives everybody a better understanding of who’s at the party all while mimicking that sense of togetherness and cohesion that you want to permeate your holiday festivities.
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2. Encourage new connections
Holiday parties should leave plenty of room for personal chatter. But, small talk is undeniably tougher to pull off in a remote setting. Interruptions seem never-ending and it’s not as natural to break off into smaller groups.
This Terrific Ten Ice Breakers template encourages friendly chit-chat and personal connections, but with a little more structure and order.
From sharing GIFs to participating in a “guess who” game, there are 10 different icebreaker activities. Do them all or choose a few that are the best fit for your team and celebration.
3. Play some festive games
If you’re worried that a virtual holiday party means nothing but awkward pauses during a Zoom call, this Remote Christmas Party template by Clemens Reitelbach offers plenty of different bite-sized activities. They’re sure to keep the good vibes flowing during your get-together.
From guessing holiday songs and decorating a virtual tree together to reflecting on your best moments from the past year, this template is packed with opportunities for some festive fun.
4. Plan your order of events
The Winter Wonderland Village template, put together by Regine with Transformational Learning Experiences, gives even more holiday-themed activities you can do with your team.
The board is set up as a winter wonderland village inside of a snow globe. You’ll follow the path to complete the different exercises, like building your perfect hot cocoa, listing your favorite holiday song, and participating in a gift exchange/
This thoughtful template gives everybody a clear idea of what they can expect from your holiday celebration.
5. Host a gift exchange
Office gift exchanges are a lighthearted way for people to get to know other coworkers and surprise them with a personalized token of appreciation or even a hilarious gag gift.
If you think planning a gift swap with a remote team is sure to be a logistical nightmare, this Secret Santa template by Artem Shein — a Project Manager at Strikerz — simplifies the process of putting together this beloved ritual.
Start by setting the ground rules, such as your maximum gift amount and how people will get gifts to each other (whether you’ll provide prepaid shipping boxes, limit exchanges to virtual gifts like gift cards, or will ask people to leave their presents at the office). Team members can then create their personal wishlists and use the lottery board to attach their name to a number so that you can randomize the gift assignments.
6. Decorate virtual cookies together
For many people, the holidays are synonymous with sugar overload. And, while you can’t quite eat these virtual sweet treats, this Virtual Holiday Kitchen template from Kristin Leitch brings your team together for a festive cookie decorating activity.
On the board, everybody adds their name to a gingerbread cookie. They can copy different accessories and elements — outfits, hats, glasses, and more — from the top of the board to decorate their cookie.
We’ll admit it’s not quite as delicious as the real thing, but it’s still a festive way for your team members to enjoy their time together.
7. Host a friendly competition
Have a bunch of trivia lovers on your team? This Jeopardy! Game Board template, created by Lauren Chinisci, tests your team’s knowledge in the classic Jeopardy style.
This template is super customizable, so you can create the categories and questions to suit your team. You could stick with a festive theme and do holiday-focused trivia. Or you could create get-to-know-you style questions for your team to learn new things about each other.
Regardless of what you focus the questions on, this template provides the platform for you and your team to engage in some spirited and friendly competition.
Wrap up the year with a festive celebration
Your team can’t be all work and no play, and the end of the year is a fitting time for everybody to come together for some merriment. Your holiday party is an outlet for your team to kick back and genuinely enjoy time together — without the pressure of constant to-do’s.
Worried you can’t recreate the magic in a virtual environment? Miro is the perfect canvas for team building and connection, whether you’re organizing a gift exchange or decorating a virtual tree together. With a little planning and a collaborative space like Miro, you’ll host a holiday party that brings festive fun to your team.
