Rachele Pezzuti
USAG Stuttgart Public Affairs
Here are some ideas to help friends and family stay healthy and happy during this corona holiday season. Along with the fun, make time to share the more serious matters too. Listen to each other and encourage each other during this time. Online platforms, like Zoom, Skype, MS Teams, Whatsapp, and FB Messenger can help with these activities and bridge the miles between friends, family, and loved ones.
Virtual dinner party
Send out invitations for a virtual dinner party. Include time, date, dress, and a suggested menu. Part of the fun can be the individual interpretations of the various courses.
Virtual board games
Yes, this is possible! Obviously some games don’t adapt well to virtual players, but some traditional board games like Trivial Pursuit, Mensch ärgere dich nicht and Monopoly transition really well. And only one player needs to actually own the game to stream the “master view” to others. Even pantomime is possible with adapted rules for video.
Write letters to each other the old fashioned way
Handwritten letters are an art form in themselves. Design them creatively with drawings, stickers, etc.
Movie night with your WhatsApp group
Arrange with friends to watch the same movie at the same time together. Comedies and scary thrillers tend to work best. In this setting, talking during the movie is encouraged!
Blog or Vlog about your daily quarantine or lockdown routine.
The quarantine everyday life becomes much more exciting if you record it for your friends and family.
Write a story together in real time
Using a platform like Google Drive, write a serialized story where the group takes turns adding details. For example, Alex writes his new paragraph in the morning, Anika’s appears at noon, and Paul’s in the evening. This way, the story goes on and on, and leaves the others in suspense until it’s their turn again.
Have a jam session with or without real instruments or musicians
Don’t whine, jam!
Learn a language together and practice speaking on the phone.
Apps like Duolingo, you can “get into” a language very quickly and playfully. If you like it a bit more competitive, you can also compete directly with your friends.
Virtual workout or dance party
Develop your own workout routine with friends or teach each other some new dance moves.
Online literature club
Select a book to read during the quarantine period with one or several others. Talk about it chapter by chapter spread out over time or all at once at the end. No spoilers!
Virtual cooking class
Whether you’re in need a few lessons yourself or are a master chef already, decide on a dish, have the ingredients ready, and start a virtual cooking class.
Organize, clean up and sort out
Now is a good time to organize and sort through things, like books, movies, clothes, kids’ toys. It can be a highly liberating feeling to do some proper cleaning out.
