As COVID continues to inconvenience us with its domineering presence, many of us have come to terms with the fact we need to find original solutions to stay connected with family, especially during the holidays. Since most of us won’t be traveling to see relatives this year it’s time to enlist creative options to keep the connections intact and show love and gratitude to our loved ones. Below are five activities that the entire family can enjoy together, and while many of these ideas will be new to many people, perhaps new traditions can be built while giving them a try.

1. Schedule a Movie Night Using Teleparty (formerly Netflix Party) – Teleparty is a fun way to watch a movie or TV show with friends and family during the holidays. Teleparty synchronizes video playback and adds group chat to Netflix, Disney, Hulu and HBO, and it’s a great way to host a virtual movie night. Teleparty offers HD video quality and fast buffering for a pleasant movie experience. You do need a Netflix account to host a party, but once you’re set up you can entertain up to 50 people, and you and your guests can engage in text-based chats while the movie is playing.

2. Coordinate a Virtual Game Night – Plan a virtual game night with the family. When hosting your game night, it’s a good idea to consider a multi-player app, like Houseparty, that allows hosting of a large group. You can coordinate an adult game night in one room and, on another device, arrange a separate kids’ game adventure, or you can keep everyone together and host a family gathering where everyone can participate. Each room allows up to eight people per call, and this app allows you to switch between groups. So, if you’re trying to keep two sides of your family entertained, you can jump on a game night party with one group then switch to another room for an alternate party meet up.

3. Enjoy Holiday Music Together Using Spotify’s Group Session – This is a new offering from Spotify, so many families will be trying this feature for the first time this year. With a Spotify extension you can set up a group session so everyone can control and listen to music, while in different households. We love Christmas music so this will be a treat to enjoy with the family and listen together, in real time. Although still in beta mode, the feature currently lets up to five Premium users take control of the music in real time as well as contribute to a group playlist.

4. Arrange a Virtual Karaoke Night – A virtual karaoke night is easy to set up and will keep the entire family entertained. To get started, first make sure you secure your video platform. There are plenty of options like zoom, Google Meet, Microsoft Teams, Google Meet plus many more to choose from. Once you’ve secured your video platform, select an app like Karaoke, StarMaker, Smule, or Stingray, for a memorable night with the family. Plan to sing with loved ones or record personal performances that you can share right from your phone or computer.

5. Catch Up with Family Via Video – Secure a video platform of your choice and catch up with loved ones through one-on-one chat or group chat. You can share holiday gift ideas, highlight book recommendations, collect and swap recipes, share photos, and even organize a virtual gift exchange.

When it comes to bonding with your family there is no one way to stay connected, but once you find the right tools suitable for your family, it times to implement them and stay in touch!