The holiday season is just around the corner and celebrating both in-person and remote teams is crucial for employee recognition and appreciation!
October 2025 | PerfectGift Experts | 5 minute read
Main image courtesy of Center for Creative Leadership.
The holidays always have a way of creeping up on us whether we expect it or not. Making sure that you have all of your decorations put up, baked all your cookies, and got all of the presents that you need to give loved ones is essential during this time of year–but if you’re a business owner, it’s important to also think about your employees too.
Many businesses will opt to throw holiday parties to celebrate the success of another year with their team, but while many run with in-person staff, some have remote teams too. There can be people who work remotely for a company that isn’t based in their hometown or city, but they still play an important role in the business to help it run smoothly and effectively.
If you have a remote team that plays a huge role in how your business does its everyday operations, make sure to consider how to celebrate them during the holidays with these easy, yet effective methods they’ll appreciate!
1. Virtual Holiday Party
One of the best ways to celebrate your remote team is holding a virtual holiday party with them!
Virtual holiday parties are an easy way to celebrate remote teams during the holiday season when you’re not able to meet in-person. Image courtesy of WorkItDaily.
One of the downsides to having a remote team can simply be that you aren’t able to see them in-person to tell them how much you appreciate all of the hard work that they put into their job. The holidays are all about giving back and one of the easiest and best ways that you can celebrate your remote team is by holding a virtual holiday party.
With technology such as Zoom, FaceTime, and Google Teams, we’re able to be in other towns, cities, and countries and still be able to have face-to-face conversations with people. By scheduling a virtual holiday party for your remote team, it will give you the opportunity to not only thank them for all of the work they’ve contributed over the year, but also to hang out with them and still have a good time.
Make sure to send your gifts in advance for everyone to open up while in the virtual party to make it extra special, and even plan some games and activities to participate in, along with dressing up for the occasion!
2. Holiday Book Club
Book clubs are a great way to get people talking with one another and grow closer to your remote team!
Book clubs are a great way to get to know more about your staff and their interests, even with a remote team. Image courtesy of Once Upon a Book Club.
Do you have a creative remote team that loves to talk things out, strategize, and analyze tasks within the company to improve profits or the overall workplace environment? Organizing a book club can sometimes be a great option with any remote team, especially since it allows them to connect with one another, improve communication, and even enhance emotional intelligence, skills, and workplace performance.
With that being said, a holiday book club can make for a great way to celebrate any remote team in December. There are many popular holiday books that have a deeper meaning behind them or are just fun to read and discuss with your team–plus it can be a team bonding experience that is cost-effective.
Organizing a book club and choosing something to match the holiday season can be an easy way to get together with your team, build deeper bonds with them, discuss the book of choice, and give them your praises for another successful year.
3. Virtual Gift Exchange
Many remote teams are close to one another, and a gift exchange can be a great way to celebrate them and the holidays!
Virtual Secret Santa or white elephant parties can be an excellent choice to celebrate remote teams. Image courtesy of Elfster Blog.
One of the most popular activities to have at any company workplace party is to have a Secret Santa or white elephant party. Whether you have to get a thoughtful gift for someone, or get a funny–sometimes impractical–gift, there are many options to choose from. With having a remote team, it can be hard to get together in-person due to the locations of staff members, but there’s no reason to skip out on a virtual gift exchange!
Whether you have designated times for staff to stop by the office and pick up their gift, or even mailing it out, opening them up virtually can be a great way to get together, talk business while also enjoying each other’s company during the holiday season.
Some key notes to remember about a virtual gift exchange:
- Establish a budget
- Assign gifters to recipients
- Choose the type of exchange
- Set a date and time
- Enjoy!
4. Ugly Sweater Contest
Wear your ugliest sweater with a virtual contest to see who takes home the prize!
Ugly sweater contests can make for an exciting virtual party with a remote team to vote on who's the best. Image courtesy of Parade.
One of the best things to do right around Christmas time when getting together with family, friends, or coworkers is to bring out the ugly sweater! Ugly holiday sweaters can come in tons of fun themes, such as having funny Christmas sayings on them, the theme of a popular holiday movie, inappropriate (yet funny!) boozy ones, and just being over-the-top festive with lights, red and green colors, and 3D features.
When planning something with your remote team, why not remind them to wear their ugliest holiday sweater to a virtual meeting or upcoming party and hold a contest to see whose is the best–or worst! Ugly holiday sweaters can make it easier to strike up a conversation with your remote team, plus it can be something simple, yet fun for everyone to participate in. You can even throw in a gift prize for whoever has the best one, along with other games and activities for an enjoyable night with your remote team!
5. Send Out Holiday Cards
A simple, yet effective way to show that you appreciate your remote team even when you can’t see them everyday!
Holiday cards are a great way to show appreciation for your remote team by wishing them a happy and safe holiday. Image courtesy of Hallmark.
The holidays are a busy time of year where you try endlessly to spend time with everyone you can, including friends, family, and even coworkers. For many businesses that have remote teams, it can be tough with different locations, plans, and even time zones to successfully schedule a team meeting. If it’s hard to schedule your remote team all together for a virtual Christmas or holiday party, consider sending them a card instead!
While a card might not seem like much, it can be a kind gesture to get your thoughts out onto paper and show appreciation for your employees. By taking the time out to write a personalized note inside a holiday card, plus insert money or even a gift card, it can be a simple way to show your appreciation for your remote team while wishing them happy holidays and a happy New Year.
6. Virtual Cookie Party
Cookies are a huge part of any holiday celebration, and doing it with your remote team–even virtually–can be a fun idea!
Christmas cookies are a popular treat to make during the holiday season and you can do it virtually with your remote team. Image courtesy of Simply Recipes.
One of the best parts of celebrating the holidays is all of the sweet treats that come out of it–which in most cases are cookies galore! From sugar cookies, chocolate chip, peanut butter blossoms, gingerbread, thumbprint, and even snickerdoodles, making cookies is a fun activity to do during the holidays–and it could be a great way to celebrate with your remote team!
If you’re looking for something fun and unique to do with your remote team, cooking classes are often picked because you get to decide on a recipe together and cook it while talking and laughing with everyone, even if it is virtually. This year instead of a cooking class, make it all about holiday cookies!
By making a poll and having your remote team vote on the type cookie (or cookies!) to make, it can make for a great bonding session to further connect with your employees. It can also help them to become closer with one another and work together to be a stronger team even by doing something as simple and fun as baking holiday cookies.
7. Holiday-Themed Happy Hour
A perfect way to finish off any work week before the holidays can include a drink or two!
A holiday-themed happy hour from the comfort of your remote team’s home can be a great way to connect with them and unwind. Image courtesy of 30Seconds.
For many people after a long week of work, hitting up happy hour with some coworkers, friends, or family can be a great way to unwind while catching some deals on food and drinks. Being safe during the holidays is important, and what better way to stay safe than bringing the happy hour special into your own home. Instead of renting out a venue or meeting your remote team in-person–which can be difficult due to conflicting schedules and locations–hold a virtual holiday happy hour instead!
Instead of going out to a restaurant for a couple drinks and food, remote teams can look up different holiday-themed boozy beverages to make and send out to the rest of the team so everyone can learn how to make them together, sip on them, and talk about work or kick back and relax. The best part is, no one has to leave the comfort of their own home, so everyone can stay safe and enjoy their drink while snuggled up on the couch and in comfy clothes too.
8. PerfectGift+ Gift Card
Sending out a gift card can be a kind gesture to say thank you for everything during the holidays!
It can be difficult to coordinate holiday plans with your remote team due to a number of reasons. Whether some employees are already on vacation, different locations and time zones, or even just due to conflicting schedules, it can be tough to figure out the best way to celebrate the holidays with your remote team and verbally express how grateful you are to have them as a part of your business.
If you’re looking for a way to give back to your remote team for all of the hard work that they do behind the scenes, consider getting them a PerfectGift+ gift card this holiday season!
Sending a PerfectGift+ gift card to your staff on your remote team is easy, and you can do it all from your computer or smartphone! All you need to do is select the PerfectGift+ gift card option, add the amount, personalize it with a picture and/or message, then send it virtually via text message or email. Your employees even have the option to swap it out for a Visa gift card, or you can have the option to send out a physical gift card and have it shipped all in the same day. Just know that if you want to send it out to your remote staff, it’s essential to purchase it before 4 pm EST Monday through Saturday to have same-day shipping. No matter the occasion, this gift card is the perfect gift for anyone every time!
Consider These Top 8 Ways to Celebrate the Holidays With Your Remote Team
The holidays are a special time for everyone–even for your remote team. While you may not see your remote staff in-person on the regular, they still do a ton of work behind the scenes that can help to keep any business moving and flowing efficiently, so it’s important to give them the appreciation and recognition that they deserve.
Consider these top eight ways to celebrate the holidays with your remote team to remind them of how much you appreciate all of their hard work today!
