Holiday activities you can do through Zoom
By Meghan Curtis
December 16, 2020
Image Credit: Lindsay Garbacik for The Campus Trainer
It’s beginning to look a lot like... a different type of Christmas. Students are celebrating the holidays a bit different this year due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
There is an abundance of different online holiday activities students are utilizing this holiday season including video chatting with family members, watching movies through Netflix Party and much more.
Zoom “university” is coming to a close this semester, but it doesn’t mean you can’t video chat your family and close friends. Many students are opening presents with their extended family over Zoom, so it’s like having them there. “Opening presents Christmas morning through Zoom would be something I can see us doing,” said Bradley Meyers, a junior economics major. Each family member can take a turn and show off their new holiday gifts.
“My family and I are going to do a family Zoom call for a couple of hours on Christmas, so we can catch up with everyone,” said Kaylan Wallen, a multiplatform journalism major. You could even do a separate Zoom call with your close friends to show off your new college apparel or electronic devices.
Other students are utilizing Netflix Party to bring about holiday cheer. Plan a night with your friends and family to all sit down, pop some popcorn and turn on Netflix Party to watch a holiday movie and connect with family or friends who aren’t there. Instead of talking to one another over video and disrupting the movie, users can type in the chat icon to talk to one another. You can discuss your impressions of the movie or just engage in some quick chit-chat. “My mom and I are planning on doing a Christmas movie viewing with her sisters and their families over Netflix Party! I’m really excited!” said Wallen.
Get creative this holiday season by doing some cooking or baking over Zoom. Make some homemade cookie dough and bake them in the oven while on Zoom with a family member or friend. Cook a holiday dinner with all the signature foods of the season. Teach or learn a recipe from someone over Zoom. It may even seem like the other person is right in the kitchen with you, guiding you along the way until your meal is complete.
There are a few online games that you can play with your family and friends including Cards Against Humanity. You can play it on All Bad Cards with your friends or on Cards Against Humanity Lab where it’s a single-player game. You can even print out the cards and play it over a Zoom call. This is a classic party game that you can play with others during a virtual holiday party.
If you have some last minute holiday shopping, grab your cell phone and Zoom one of your family members or friends, so they can help you find the perfect gift for someone. Show the other person on Zoom everything in the store easily through the camera lens. Some help and advice on what to buy someone may prove successful.
Enjoy this socially-distant holiday season with your loved ones and try some of these virtual holiday activities.