How To Feel More Connected with Online Holiday Gatherings
Current pandemic circumstances make everything different this year, including holiday gatherings. Instead of getting together with friends and family to share gifts and cookies, many people are opting for online holiday gatherings. While you may feel like you're missing out on the hugs and kisses, at least you'll get to share part of your day with your loved ones. Make the most of your online holiday gathering with these fun tips.
Put your invitations in the mailbox
Are you planning an online holiday gathering? Make it extra special with real invitations mailed to each person. Everyone loves getting something personal in the mail, so put time and effort into it. Creating homemade invitations is an excellent project for you and your children to work on together. The overall effect will be much more special than a text or email.
Share a custom playlist of beautiful holiday tunes
Take a few minutes to create a playlist of your favorite holiday music. Share your playlist before the online gathering, and then you can all tune into it at the same time. This gives you a great way to connect, even though you may be many miles apart.
Add a holiday background to your Zoom meeting
Have you ever used a background when using Zoom? It's pretty easy to do. Add a creative holiday background to your online gathering, and your family will be meeting in a snowy evergreen forest. Or in front of a table full of delicious food. Or around a crackling fire that almost actually makes you feel warmer. Cosmopolitan has written simple directions for setting the scene on your holiday Zoom gathering.
Connect with a shared activity
When you're all doing something together, it lessens the distance between you. Suggest a creative activity that you can all do together. Here are some suggestions to spark your imagination:
- Share a traditional recipe and have everyone make cookies to show (and eat) during your gathering.
- Make it a cocktail party, with special instructions on how to create a favorite holiday drink.
- Play a game together that you can do online, such as family trivia or charades.
- Extend your gathering with an online movie night. You can watch a classic holiday movie together, and the program ensures everyone is watching the same parts at the same time.
Share your quarantine life in a presentation
Part of the fun of any gathering is catching up on what people have been doing. Have each person or household create a presentation that shows how they have been dealing with the quarantine in the past year. It can be homemade, with posters and markers and pasted-on photos. It can be a video that you create. Or each person can read a prepared script, like reading your Christmas letter to the group.
However you choose to spice up your online holiday gathering, we encourage you to be creative and stay safe this season. Happy holidays from Nested Naturals!
