Christmas VPN suggestions

Adult Staff
#1

Hi,
As it is approaching the festive period (scarily rapidly) my Sqn are putting on a Christmas themed VPN but are struggling with suggestions on how to actually make it fun/different from what they may be doing at school etc. Normally we’d have an awards night and meal.

From a personal perspective, I’m getting quite bored of quizzes since lockdown etc started!

Also, are we allowed to use the words “Christmas party” or is that seen as not being inclusive (genuine question). “Happy holidays” and the like are too American for me.

#2

Send them all a cracker and get them to read the jokes out, wastes 10 minutes and some might even be funny.

Charades is another easy one that could be done remotely.

2 Likes
#3

Yes, you are allowed to use Christmas party. It’s a very small number of people who get offended by it and the Muslim council, chief Rabbi etc all say we shouldn’t believe the Daily Heil stories about it being criticized and banned. Also, let’s not forget that there are two festivals called Christmas being celebrated at this time of year. There is the Christian festival which celebrates the birth of Christ (incidentally the second most important prophet in Islam) despite the fact most Christians accept that he was not born on 25/12 [but that’s a whole different thread] and the secular festival involving Santa, overspending on pointless crap, forced jolliness with families leading to drunken arguments etc. Most people assume you are talking about the latter when you say Christmas Party anyway

2 Likes
#4

Ooh that could work, thanks. Also who can write the best cracker joke.

#5

Put together a little goodie bag with ingredients to make something, perhaps festive cookies, then bake them together on the VPN?

#6

You could do after dinner games, things like the After 8 challenge (put an after 8 on your forehead and get it in your mouth without using your hands)

#7

I agree totally with @Farmerdan, but to add I’ve started to hear “Winter break” increasingly used for international / multicultural audiences, which seems less American

#8

At my unit, we are going to buy the cadets a pack of Tesco’s “Decorate your own gingerbread men” each so we can have fun decorating them whilst on a VPN (Each pack is around £1.80 each)

#9

We did a mass game of laser quest in the hall, but that wouldn’t work for VPN

#10

If its a party and its Christmas its a Christmas party, all welcome that is “inclusive” don’t shy away from your beliefs to appease.

1 Like
#11

Not so much an 'on the night suggestion, but I tried doing a taskmaster style event… (like they’d been doing on YouTube Hometasking

Unfortunately I only had 1 cadet submit a video, Although what you could do is pose the challenge a week in advance and have everyone show them on your Christmas VPN, then the staff vote on the best one?

#12

Sorry I thought I’d replied. Just wanted to say thanks for your suggestions, we had our VPN earlier this year and it went well!