Parties can happen in this pandemic, but safety should be your #1 criteria when hosting a get-together this holiday season. Being creative while ensuring the safety of your guests will take planning. Here are five party ideas while remaining COVID safe and not hosting a super-spreader event. Be creative and share your ideas for the holiday party season.
- Open House. Host a reservation-only open house. Guests are assigned a timeframe, self-selected groupings of up to 6, and specific seated locations. In my home, I can setup 6 to 8 different locations where guests can sit safely distanced. Invite groups of friends at specific times (approximately an hour timeframe each) and then seat them in the various locations. We recently hosted 100 guests that we missed dearly over two days. Everyone was socially distanced, wore masks, and we were able to circulate with each of the guests safely. Everyone received their own pre-prepared charcuterie plate and glass of wine. Consider an event “theme” such as asking everyone to wear carnival masks (they can be homemade) along with their COVID masks.
- Virtual Wine Tasting. LDV Winery can host a virtual wine tasting happy hour for a group of your friends. Or there are bars doing Tiki Bar Parties in a Box. LDV’s Virtual Happy Hour includes your guests receiving a chosen bottle of wine and pairing guide (or include a variety of cheeses and crackers) for the happy hour. As the host, you get to participate along with your guests while the LDV winemaker entertains your guests while they enjoy great wine.
- Host a Holiday Sing Along. Invite your friends to participate virtually on Zoom or other virtual program, send them a song book and instructions, and put together the background music. Depending on the enthusiasm of your group you might send the music along prior to the event if they want to practice ahead of time. Or engage your favorite piano player to provide the music for your sing along. As host, you facilitate or assign a sing along facilitator.
- Neighborhood Driveway Cookie Exchange. Decorate your homes and share some holiday cheer with your neighbors. Set a date and determine the number of cookie packages for everyone to prepare (10 families participating, 10 cookie packages of a dozen cookies). Each family sets up a table to receive the cookie packages. Collectively, enjoy your favorite beverages, play holiday music, enjoy the holiday lights, and each family can take turns distributing their cookie packages. You might also include a holiday decoration contest and the kids get to choose the winner. Great fun for the kids.
- Heads Up Ap Zoom Party. Heads Up is a “high tech charades game” that is played on your I-Phone or I-Pad. Determine the number of party guests, create a Zoom event, send invitations and instructions (e.g., everyone downloads the Heads Up ap, decide the category you are playing, and provide game instructions).