13 Best Virtual Christmas Scavenger Hunt Games for a Thrilling Holiday Season

'Tis the season to be jolly, and hosting a virtual Christmas scavenger hunt activity is one of the most entertaining ways to celebrate with your remote crew. After all, who doesn't love a good chase? The fun doubles when your team is after treats, Santa's lost presents, and ornaments. Planning and arranging this game can be overwhelming but fear not. 

That's why we've put together a nifty guide to help you run your own virtual Christmas scavenger hunt games. This includes basic tips and ideas for what to put on Santa's festive treasure hunt list.

1. What Is a Virtual Christmas Scavenger Hunt?

A virtual Christmas scavenger hunt is a digitally facilitated game that involves finding various themed items within a certain set time. These could be anything from glistening tinsel to a reindeer-adorned sweater. Depending on the format of the game, it can sometimes involve points or other gamification elements to promote engagement.

2. 13 Best Virtual Christmas Scavenger Hunt Ideas for Your Team

2.1 Find Christmas Décor

A hunt for Christmas decorations is a great way to set the mood for you and your team’s themed Christmas scavenger hunt. This could include tree decorations like baubles, tinsel, or pendants, as well as more general household ornaments like holly wreaths, intricate nutcrackers, or snow globes. Some of your team members may even have custom items that inspire their peers to experiment with their celebratory ornaments.

2.2 Organize a Christmas Trivia Hunt

Instead of creating a straightforward virtual Christmas scavenger hunt list for the team, you can make things more challenging with some virtual scavenger hunt riddles or cryptic Christmas scavenger hunt clues. 

For example: “I come with a lot of colors, so lovely and bright. I turn so many houses into a beautiful sight. What am I?” Answer: Christmas lights.

Hooray Teams is one such awesome team-building platform that hosts a whole lineup of games and activities that includes fun trivia for Christmas among other themes. What’s more, if you want to personalize the trivia session, simply reach out to them and they are happy to do the needful.

2.3 Search for a Gift Wrap Paper

This can be a quirky inclusion because it allows your colleagues to compare different kinds of wrapping gift paper designs and even share some cool wrapping tips.  Whether it’s covered in snowman heads, chirping robins, or falling snowflakes,  this activity adds a fun and creative touch. Some people may even be going down the environmentally friendly route and using simple brown paper or paper recycled from previous years.

2.4 Find Something With Stars

Include broad items like something with stars in your virtual Christmas treasure hunt ideas. This gives teammates the freedom to be creative and find things in their homes that match the open theme. For added fun, you can give bonus points to staff who present the most unusual objects fitting the prompt.

2.5 Hunt for Christmas Treats

Who among your team has the sweetest tooth and who is more of a sucker for savory Christmas specialties? You’ll very soon find out if you include this item in your scavenger hunt ideas for Christmas. Some specific examples of Christmas treats you could include are mince pies, candy canes, gingerbread people, crisps flavored like roast turkey, and pigs in blankets.

2.6 Virtual Stocking Stuffer

This theme can be a wonderful way to celebrate the holiday season with remote teams or friends. Compile a list of virtual stocking stuffer items that participants need to find. These can be digital representations or links to online items. Examples might include a holiday-themed GIF, a virtual candy cane image, a link to a funny Christmas activities video on YouTube, an emoji of Santa Claus, or a screenshot of a snow globe from a website.

2.7 Search for an Ugly Christmas Costume

Guaranteed to unleash a few guffaws, this indoor Christmas scavenger hunt idea is an opportunity for your team to bring out that classic Christmas outfit.  Your team can wear a hideous knitted jumper complete with goggle-eyed Rudolphs, deliriously happy elves, and clashing bright colors that make the eyes water. If you’re lucky, some of your colleagues might even be concealing a Christmas tree costume or a Santa suit in their wardrobe.

2.8 Discover Something in Red and Green

Red and green are the classic Christmas colors, some say because they are the hues of the holly bush, which thrives throughout the year. Even for people who don’t normally celebrate the December date, it shouldn’t be hard to find something that fits the theme of red and green. Think red and green candies, a red rose with a green stem, or a nice, juicy watermelon.

2.9 Find Something a Snowman Would Like to Wear

Again, this holiday scavenger hunt item lets your colleagues get a little creative. Of course, you have the classic snowman accouterments, like a flowing scarf, a festive hat, and a carrot nose, but some snowmen might also like to wear mittens on their branch arms or a jacket over their rotund bodies.

2.10 Search for a Santa Hat

Most of your colleagues probably don't have a Santa hat, so we suggest including it in the invite as a hint for the virtual Christmas scavenger hunt. This will give everybody time to purchase something suitably snazzy beforehand, which they can then reveal with aplomb over Zoom or Teams. You might even complement your scavenger hunt with a little Santa hat fashion show.

2.11 Organize a Christmas Carol Scavenger Hunt

Virtual Christmas party scavenger hunt ideas won’t be truly complete without the melodious carol chorus filling the air. So, why not bring the timeless charm of Charles Dickens's "A Christmas Carol, “Jingle Bells” or “Dashing through the snow” to your remote holiday celebration? Your team will be on the hunt for Tiny Tims, Scrooge's Miserly Hat, or even a sparkling Merry Christmas board, creating a festive and joyful experience together.

2.12 Locate Something related to a Famous Christmas Movie

Hey movie buffs, it's time for you to shine. Put your knowledge to the test to find something that’s connected to a famous Christmas movie. Hunt for items that remind you of those special moments from your all-time favorite like  "Home Alone," "It's a Wonderful Life," Gremlins, or any other Christmas movie close to your heart. It could be a Red Ryder BB Gun, Silver Bell, Santa's hat, Christmas treats or any other decorations from the scene that capture the essence of your beloved season.

2.13 Scavenge for Christmas Food and Drink

Who can say no to this interesting quest? Get ready to tantalize your taste buds as you discover the sweet aroma of freshly baked cookies or a cup of hot cocoa, roasted turkey, eggnog, ham, or prime rib. And don’t forget to hunt for the perfect drink to pair it with - be it a fragrant cinnamon tea, a creamy hot chocolate, or a glass of fine wine. After all, what's Christmas without savoring the delicious flavors that make it amazing?

3. How to Plan a Perfect Virtual Christmas Scavenger Hunt?

3.1 Select an Online Video Conferencing Platform

You need to decide what video conferencing platform you intend to use. Ensure everyone has the appropriate software installed and knows how to use the application in advance. Some of the most common choices are Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Skype, and Google Meet.

3.2 Prepare the List of Games and Clues

The next step is to plan what items are going to be on your online Christmas scavenger hunt ideas. Choose things that most players are likely to have in their house to ensure everyone can take part. Once you’ve done that, you can start writing fun clues for each item.

3.3 Communicate Rules and Timings

Everything always runs more smoothly when the rules of the game are communicated clearly. As part of your invite, include a brief description of how your adult Christmas scavenger hunt will work virtually, how long it should take, and whether your team should prepare anything beforehand. 

3.4 Send Out Invitations in Advance

The more notice you give people, the more likely they will be able to participate. In general, inviting staff to an event four weeks in advance should be sufficient. Consider emailing a reminder a few days before the date to ensure maximum engagement.

3.5 Host the Event

The only thing left to do then is host the event! Consider making your virtual Christmas scavenger hunt printable, so that people have a tangible list to work from once the game is afoot.

4. FAQs

4.1 How do you do a virtual scavenger hunt?

The main piece of preparation for a virtual scavenger hunt is to create a list of items for the participants to find around their homes. You can keep everything entirely digital or make your virtual Christmas scavenger hunt free printable so that people can physically tick items off the list.

4.2 What are good clues for a scavenger hunt?

You want your scavenger hunt clues to be mildly challenging but ultimately easy for most people to puzzle out. Remember that the main point of your virtual scavenger hunt is for participants to find items, rather than get bogged down on the riddles. If you’re struggling to come up with your Christmas-themed clues, you can find lots of inspiration online.