Holidays
13 Online Christmas Party Games for Work
· 9 min read
A virtual Christmas party lives or dies on its games. Without them, it's just another video call with festive backgrounds. The best online Christmas party games let everyone play from their own device, work with cameras on or off, and fit into an hour. Here are 13 that work for remote and hybrid teams, plus ten Christmas trivia questions to get you started.
Quick guide
| Game | Time | Group size | Works |
|---|---|---|---|
| Christmas trivia | 15–20 min | Any, in teams | Remote |
| Online Secret Santa | 5 min draw | 3+ | Remote |
| Virtual White Elephant | 20–40 min | 6–40 | Remote |
| Ugly sweater contest | 10 min | Any | Remote |
| Christmas Pictionary | 15 min | 6+ | Remote |
| Name that Christmas song | 10 min | Any | Remote |
| Christmas emoji puzzles | 10 min | Any, in teams | Remote |
| Holiday this or that | 5 min | Any | Remote |
| Festive show and tell | 10 min | Up to 15 | Remote |
| Survey says, holiday edition | 10–15 min | 6+ | Remote |
| Finish the Christmas card | 10 min | 6+ | Remote |
| Holiday escape room | 20–25 min | 4+ | Remote |
| Bake-along or decorate-along | 30–45 min | Up to 30 | Remote |
1. Christmas trivia
15–20 min · Any, in teams people · remote
How it works: Ten to twenty festive questions on films, songs and traditions, answered in teams. There are ten to start you off below.
Why it works: The most dependable online Christmas party game: everyone can play, and teams take the pressure off.
With TeamPlay: Write your Christmas questions as a custom game; everyone answers on their own device and the app keeps score. The free plan includes one custom game. See how it plays.
2. Online Secret Santa
5 min draw · 3+ people · remote
How it works: Draw names online a couple of weeks before, ship gifts to each recipient, then open them together on the call.
Why it works: Watching everyone open gifts on camera is the warmest moment of a virtual party.
With TeamPlay: TeamPlay's Secret Santa draws names so each person privately sees who they got. Not even the host sees the pairings. See how it plays.
3. Virtual White Elephant
20–40 min · 6–40 people · remote
How it works: Everyone buys a gift and adds it to the game. In turn, people open a new gift or steal one already opened. Gifts ship after the party.
Why it works: The stealing makes it the most competitive gift exchange there is.
With TeamPlay: The app keeps the turn order, the three-steal limit and the final swap round. See how it plays.
4. Ugly sweater contest
10 min · Any people · remote
How it works: Everyone wears their most festive (or most terrible) jumper on camera. Vote for categories like ugliest, most creative and best homemade.
Why it works: Costs almost nothing and gets cameras on.
5. Christmas Pictionary
15 min · 6+ people · remote
How it works: One player draws or describes a festive word (reindeer, mince pie, snow globe) while their team guesses.
Why it works: Familiar, funny and works on any video call.
6. Name that Christmas song
10 min · Any people · remote
How it works: Share your screen with sound and play the first few seconds of Christmas songs. First right answer in the chat scores.
Why it works: Everyone knows more Christmas songs than they think.
7. Christmas emoji puzzles
10 min · Any, in teams people · remote
How it works: Spell out Christmas films and songs in emoji (⛄❄️👸 is Frozen, 🏠🧒😱 is Home Alone) and let teams race to decode them.
Why it works: Quick to make, quick to play and very shareable.
8. Holiday this or that
5 min · Any people · remote
How it works: Ask festive either-or questions: real tree or fake? Sprouts: yes or no? Open presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
Why it works: A gentle opener that starts plenty of friendly arguments.
9. Festive show and tell
10 min · Up to 15 people · remote
How it works: Everyone shows one decoration, tradition or holiday treat from home and explains it.
Why it works: A lovely way to learn how colleagues in different countries celebrate.
10. Survey says, holiday edition
10–15 min · 6+ people · remote
How it works: Teams guess the most popular answers to prompts like "Something people do on Christmas Day." More popular answers score more.
Why it works: Feels like a TV game show, and works well with a host who hams it up.
11. Finish the Christmas card
10 min · 6+ people · remote
How it works: Share an opening line ("Dear Santa, this year I mostly ___") and have everyone write an ending. The room votes for the funniest.
Why it works: Quick, creative, and the quiet colleagues often win.
12. Holiday escape room
20–25 min · 4+ people · remote
How it works: Teams solve a chain of puzzles to escape before time runs out. Breakout rooms let each team work alone.
Why it works: A bigger centrepiece for the main part of the party.
13. Bake-along or decorate-along
30–45 min · Up to 30 people · remote
How it works: Send everyone a simple gingerbread or cookie decorating kit, then decorate together on the call. Vote on the best.
Why it works: Hands-on and relaxed, a nice break from screen games.
10 Christmas trivia questions for work
- How many gifts are given in total in the song "The Twelve Days of Christmas"?
Answer
364 - In the film Home Alone, which city is the McCallister family flying to?
Answer
Paris - Which reindeer has a red nose?
Answer
Rudolph - What colour is the Grinch?
Answer
Green - Which Christmas song by Bing Crosby is the best-selling single of all time?
Answer
White Christmas - What is the name of the snowman in Disney's Frozen?
Answer
Olaf - In which country is eating fried chicken a popular Christmas tradition?
Answer
Japan - Which plant are people traditionally supposed to kiss under?
Answer
Mistletoe - Which country is usually credited with starting the Christmas tree tradition?
Answer
Germany - In which New York landmark is a giant Christmas tree put up every year?
Answer
Rockefeller Center
How to plan a virtual Christmas party
- Keep it to 60–90 minutes. Long enough to relax, short enough that nobody checks their email.
- Send something ahead. A snack box, a decorating kit or even a festive hat makes remote colleagues feel part of it.
- Open gently, then compete. Start with this or that or the sweater contest, move on to trivia and an escape room, and finish with gift opening.
- Play in teams. Mix departments and offices so people meet colleagues they rarely see.
- Pick a host with energy. One person to keep time, read questions and announce winners.
Common questions
What games can you play at a virtual office Christmas party?
Christmas trivia, online Secret Santa, White Elephant, an ugly sweater contest, Christmas Pictionary and name that Christmas song are the favourites. All of them work on Zoom, Teams or Google Meet.
How do you make a virtual Christmas party fun?
Give people something to do rather than just chat: team games, a gift exchange and small prizes. Keep it short and let people play from their own device. Our guide to playing games on Teams and Zoom covers the setup.
Planning an in-person party for a big office? See Christmas party games for large groups, and our guides to Secret Santa and White Elephant at work.
Run your Christmas party games in one place
TeamPlay runs the trivia, Secret Santa draw, White Elephant and party games from one shared screen. Everyone joins on their own device with a room code and the app keeps score. It's free for up to 15 people. Host a free session.