In part one of this two-part blog series, we went over some basic themes for those looking into a virtual holiday party involving senior family members this year. With the outbreak of COVID-19 still raging, and given that seniors are among those at the highest risks if they contract this condition, many families who might normally gather in-person are making the prudent move to switch to a virtual gathering – though families who live in different states may have already been utilizing this theme in past years.

At Cozy Retire, we’re happy to assist any of our senior living community guests with technological needs or other areas that will help them take part in a virtual family holiday gathering this season. What are some of the other top virtual party themes or ideas you can utilize that will both involve your senior loved one and help maintain the cheer of the holidays? Here are a few to consider.

Story Time

Using virtual services like Zoom, Skype or others, it’s easy to connect the entire family in one setting – even if you’re not in the same place. As we noted in part one, this may be an area where you have to spend a little extra time with a senior loved one who isn’t familiar with this technology, but this is also something our staff will help with.

Story time during the holidays can mean a variety of things. Many families have traditional stories they’ll either read or show this time of year, for instance, and you can do these over a video chat service easily. In other cases, older generations of the family will tell stories about years gone by, another format that’s easy to achieve with a virtual setup.

Caroling

Thinking your caroling as a family will have to be put on hold for this year? Think again. It may seem a little weird at first, but you’d be surprised how well groups can sing together across video chat channels. If you want to really make this an unforgettable experience for all involved, put together a playlist of your favorite holiday songs that you can play over the video chat channel while folks sing along.

Sweets or Dessert

Finally, there are numerous food themes to consider for a virtual party. Perhaps the simplest, at least in terms of keeping some hands free to maintain the call, is desserts or sweets. Perhaps one family member has time to bake the same treats for the entire family and send them around before the big day, for instance, allowing the whole family to enjoy them together.

For more on how to enjoy virtual holiday parties with a senior loved one this year, or to learn about any of our assisted living community services, speak to the staff at Cozy Retire today.