18 Fun Hybrid Christmas Ideas for Teams in 2022

You found our list of the best hybrid Christmas ideas.

Hybrid Christmas ideas are fun activities that you can use to entertain both virtual and in-person workers. Examples include scavenger hunts, Christmas dinners, and gift exchanges. These activities aim to usher in the holiday cheer as a team and foster stronger bonds between remote and in-office workers.

These ideas are similar to Christmas team building activities and virtual Christmas games.

This list also includes:

• hybrid Christmas party ideas
• hybrid Christmas games
• hybrid Christmas activities
• hybrid Christmas gift exchanges

Let’s get to it!

List of hybrid Christmas ideas

Christmas parties are creative ways companies can celebrate employees’ efforts throughout the year and boost workers’ motivation. However, planning an inclusive Christmas party can be challenging if you have remote and in-person workers. From mixology classes to costume parties and wrap battles, here are fantastic Christmas celebration ideas that your hybrid team will appreciate.

1. Wrap Battles

If you are looking for creative hybrid Christmas activities, then wrap battles are a good bet. The activity will foster team bonding and does not require much planning. Start by letting the in-person workers name items that remote workers will pick and wrap within 30 seconds. For instance, teams can cover their favorite mugs or easy-to-find items such as home office stationery. Or, coworkers might challenge a teammate to wrap a spatula. When time runs out, the player will hold up the object, and other players will assign a score.

2. Virtual Holiday Party

If you are struggling with holding a Christmas celebration for your remote and in-person team members, then you could go the simpler route and host a virtual holiday party. In the fully-hosted event, a fun entertainer will lead your team through a series of fun holiday games and activities over a secure video conferencing platform. Each game is carefully crafted to foster team bonding festively. The selection of games in the 90-minute event is also ideal for an international audience.

Book your Virtual Holiday Party.

3. Talent Show

As one of the most engaging hybrid Christmas party ideas, a talent show is an excellent chance for participants to showcase hidden capabilities. Through this fun activity, remote and in-office party attendees can let loose and know their coworkers better. Talent shows will also encourage workers to foster new connections with other team members’ unique capabilities. You can even host a competition for participants with similar talent and let other team members choose the winner.

Christmas talent show ideas:

• Caroling
• Painting
• Fashion show
• Christmas skit
• Dance
• Imitations

Some talents like bike riding routines or painting may be time-consuming or require special venues. Hence, you can let participants pre-record the activity and present it to the team. According to the participants’ votes, you could even have a grand prize for the most talented team player.

4. Scavenger Hunt

Scavenger hunts are some of the most engaging hybrid Christmas games. To give participants enough time to search for clues, you could create a group chat a week before your holiday party. Then, give team players up to ten items to find. Each team member will post the pictures in the chat.

One of the best activities you can engage your team in is city-wide scavenger hunts. By looking for clues within their cities and sharing them with other participants, team members will get a glimpse of their colleagues’ hometowns. Since the activity takes place over time and most prompts send players outside of the office, in-office teams do not have an advantage over hybrid group members. In fact, remote teammates may be able to find more unique items while in separate cities than coworkers.

Example prompts:

• Send three odd Christmas decorations
• Send pictures with Santa
• Take a picture of the most enormous Christmas tree
• Find specific Christmas tree ornament
• Share five different family Christmas cards
• Share your Christmas shopping list
• Take photos of a coworker wearing an ugly Christmas sweater
• Find two pets in holiday clothing

If you are hosting an in-office scavenger hunt, then you can let remote workers monitor the progress of the in-person team members through a virtual jury room.

5. Christmas Tree Decoration

A team Christmas tree decoration party is a great way to bring your hybrid workforce together. For example, you could offer your team gift cards to shop for Christmas trees and ornaments. Then, invite all remote workers to a video conferencing room. Participants will start the live Christmas tree decorating activity once the timer goes off. Meanwhile, you can group the in-person workers into smaller groups of three to eight participants. After the exercise, choose five judges who will select the best Christmas trees based on creativity, originality, aesthetic appearance, and effective representation of the theme. Be sure to give extra points to team members who get their families to join in the Christmas tree decorating contest.

6. Mixology Class

A mixology class for your hybrid workforce is a great bonding time that offers your team an avenue to learn creative cocktail-making tips. You could send a mixology kit to remote workers, including each employee’s drinks of choice. Then, invite expert bartenders to your Christmas party venue and have remote workers join on video conferencing platforms like Zoom. After the mixology class, let the remote and in-person attendees try the cocktail-making tips under the supervision of the bartenders.

7. Christmas Dinner

A Christmas dinner is a simple and effective avenue to connect your virtual and in-person party attendees. You can start by offering remote attendees Christmas-themed food delivery vouchers and setting up a round table with similar foods for the in-person attendees. Then, set up a video call for remote attendees to join and let participants chat as they enjoy the meals. You could also host a catered dinner for in-person attendees and let remote participants cook their favorite holiday food and bites.

8. Picture-Sharing

The holiday season is about memories, laughter, and helping your workforce create stronger bonds. Photo-sharing is one of the best hybrid Christmas activities to bring your team together. You could let all participants create albums with family Christmas pictures, graduation pictures, pets, and holiday travel destinations. Then, let all participants meet on a video call and share the screen with other team members. You could even have a picture-guessing game where team members take turns and figure out other workers’ pictures.

9. Pajama Party

If you are looking for simple ways to include all team members in a Christmas celebration, then a pajama party is a fantastic idea. You could request in-person and remote workers to dress in the cheesiest Christmas pajamas. If you have a small team, then you could also surprise each team player with matching Christmas pajamas. Then, offer in-person attendees Christmas drinks and bites and let remote workers grab their favorite holiday mug. For a Christmas-themed party, you could have beverages such as hot chocolate and eggnog and pair them with holiday cookies. Participants can bond over fun holiday stories and games.

10. Costume Party

A Christmas costume party is a fantastic chance for all participants to showcase their creative sides. You could request in-person team members to come dressed as characters from a famous Christmas film. Virtual workers can also wear costumes of their favorite characters, such as elves, reindeer, Santa, or the Grinch. Participants are also free to have Christmas-themed outfits such as gingerbread or holiday present costumes. You could even host a competition where the employee with the most creative outfit gets the season’s bragging rights.

11. Gift Exchange

Hybrid Christmas gift exchanges top the list of activities to spread holiday cheer among your workforce. While a gift exchange is more fun in-person, you can still have a unique experience by mixing virtual and in-person gift swap activities. You could start by pairing your workforce with their secret Santa through platforms like Elfster or Secret Santa Organizer. These platforms will maintain the anonymity of secret Santa by pairing the recipients with the givers and proving home addresses.

Once every participant receives their gift, you can schedule a day when all team members are available and host a gift opening ceremony. In-person and remote workers will then show off the gifts they receive and guess the team member who sent the items. You can let all participants make a wish list or use gift exchange platforms with the wish list feature.

12. Name that Christmas Tune

Name that Christmas tune is a fun activity that requires minimal prior planning. You can have a competition between in-person and remote attendees. As the host, you could create a Spotify Christmas playlist with 20 to 30 songs. Then, play each song for 10 to 20 seconds and let participants guess. You can give attendees points for getting the title and the artist right.

A funny game variation is the humming tune guessing game. For this activity, participants will randomly pick a holiday song. Then, attendees will hum the music for one minute without using the actual words, and other team players will guess the tune. You can allow teams to skip only one song if participants cannot guess the tune without losing a point. Be sure to offer the winning team music-themed gifts such as Bluetooth speakers or headphones. Also, split teams evenly so that each group has a variety of musical tastes, personalities, and ages.

13. Charades

Charades is a guessing game where participants act out a word or phrase in silence, and other team players guess the meaning. To set up the game, write words or phrases and let each team player pick one piece of paper. For remote team members, you can message the prompt or use an online prompt generator. Give each participant two minutes to act out a word and let other team members guess. You can let remote team members participate in charades through video conferencing platforms. Some Christmas-themed charades that teams may love include Christmas songs, movie characters, and holiday dances.

You could even have reverse charades and put one team player on the hot seat. Other team members will act out a word and let one player guess the meaning. Charades are excellent hybrid Christmas ideas since the activities require minimal preparation and are great for a laugh.

14. Christmas Cookie Decorations

Christmas cookie decorations are a classic party idea that will appeal to your hybrid workforce. You can send remote workers cookies and a DIY decorating kit, including frosting and sprinkles. You could also have small private stations where in-house workers can decorate their cookies without peeking into each other’s work. Then, let all participants decorate their cookies and showcase their creations. Be sure to let attendees share their results with all participants before taking a bite.

15. Christmas Market Tours

A Christmas market tour allows participants to explore holiday traditions from different parts of the world. For instance, you could take your in-person team on a Bavarian tour near your region. Then, a team leader can engage remote workers in the tour through a live video tour. You can offer the in-person team gift vouchers to shop in the Bavarian market and send remote teams traditional Bavarian Christmas crafts and foods. Another great idea is offering your remote team a live immersive experience through local hosts such as Withlocals or Airbnb Experiences. Christmas market tours are hybrid Christmas ideas that immerse your group into different cultures and foster a sense of inclusion in your company.

16. Speed Dating

Speed dating is one of the best hybrid Christmas activities to engage remote and in-person employees. You could start by dividing the remote team into breakout rooms of five to ten participants. Then, place a few work laptops around the in-person Christmas party attendees. Once the timer goes off, the in-person team members will move from one laptop to another as attendees mingle with the remote workers. A clever way to go about the team speed dating activity is to include fun Christmas ice-breaker questions to encourage conversation.

Christmas Ice breaker question ideas:

• What is your favorite holiday tradition?
• What is your go-to Christmas treat?
• What is the worst or best Christmas gift a close friend offered?
• What meals does your family enjoy eating during Christmas?
• What holiday dessert best describes your personality, and why?
• Where would you go if you could travel anywhere for Christmas each year?
• What is your favorite Christmas character from a TV special, book, or film?
• What is your best holiday joke?
• Are you an early or late-minute gift shopper?
• Would you rather spend Christmas in the mountains or at the beach?

Ice breaker questions will pave the way for lively Christmas discussions as in-person and remote team members discover common points of interest.

17. Christmas Trivia

A Christmas-themed trivia event is a fantastic option for your hybrid team. You can host a fun trivia event in your party venue and live stream the event to your remote team. You could list as many questions as possible or let team members give their trivia suggestions.

Christmas trivia ideas and answers:

• Name the two most popular names for Santa Claus – Saint Nick and Kris Kringle
• What three words describe the Grinch in the movie How the Grinch Stole Christmas? – Stink, Stank, and Stunk
• Which is the modern-day country where St. Nicholas was born? – Turkey
• Name the Hollywood actor renown for playing six roles in The Polar Express – Tom Hanks
• Which country invented eggnog? – England
• Where did the tradition of putting up a Christmas tree begin? – Germany
• Mention the first firm to use Santa Claus in marketing? – Coca-Cola
• Where does Santa Claus live? – The North Pole
• Name the first state in the U.S to declare Christmas an official holiday – Alabama
• Which celebrants commemorate on 26th December? – St. Stephen
• Which year was the first Christmas card sent? – 1843

Christmas trivia comes with epic fails and surprising wins that result in memorable laughter.

Here are more Christmas trivia questions to try.

18. Charity Drive

The holiday season is perfect for raising funds for a worthwhile cause. Rather than hosting a mundane event, you could opt for creative activities where participants will give back to the community. For instance, you can plan a casino party and donate proceeds to a local charity. Another excellent charity drive for hybrid workers is through employee matching gift programs. In this idea, your business will match an employee’s contributions to a non-profit organization. You could also host a virtual Christmas concert and channel proceeds to a worthy cause.

Conclusion

Fostering lasting team connections in a hybrid workforce can be difficult. Hybrid Christmas celebrations offer the perfect avenue for team players to gather together and have fun without location limitations. These activities will give your team a chance to network and foster teamwork. You can also use hybrid Christmas parties to improve workplace collaboration and build your company culture.

Next, check out these Christmas themed icebreaker questions for work.

FAQ: Hybrid Christmas

Here are answers to common questions about hybrid Christmas ideas

What are hybrid Christmas ideas?

Hybrid Christmas ideas are fun and festive activities that engage remote and in-person workers at the same time. In these celebrations, remote workers can join from the comfort of their locations and actively participate in the fun.

What are the best Christmas ideas for hybrid teams?

Regardless of the location of your workforce, you can engage your team in some fun holiday activities. The best Christmas ideas for hybrid groups include talent shows, Christmas trivia, and cookie decorations.

How do you do Christmas activities with hybrid groups?

Hosting a hybrid Christmas party can be a challenge. First, event planners must get a venue to accommodate all the in-person attendees and figure out the best technology to stream the event.

Here are easy steps to take when hosting a hybrid Christmas party:

• Start by setting a budget- Be sure to account for the cost of the venue, Christmas decorations, and food for the virtual and in-person attendees.
• Pick a date and time that works for all participants- Hosting the party during weekends or after work hours may be an inconvenience for some workers.
• Choose your venue- If you are working with a limited budget, then you can host your party in your office. However, ensure that your venue has the technical facilities to stream your party.
• Choose an online platform- With the wide choice of online platforms, you need to be on the lookout for the capacity limits, the type of activities, and the availability of breakout rooms. Some popular conferencing platforms that you can use for your hybrid Christmas parties include Google Meet, Zoom, and Skype.

If you are hosting a large event, then you could send out the invitations two weeks before the party and allow workers to test the platform. Ensure that all virtual participants have the correct logins to your video conferencing platform.