11 Original Ways To Keep Your Holiday Traditions Alive This Year

We know it's nothing like an in-person celebration...but finding new (virtual) ways to connect can make this year extra special. Find out how Asurion Home+ can help you stay connected this holiday.

1. Host a watch party for your favorite holiday movies.

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Who says you can't still veg out for an all-day holiday movie marathon on TV? Just curate a list of favorites with your fam, launch a video call, and cohost a watch party in your pajamas. Make a giant bucket of popcorn and settle in for the day. Just make sure everyone stays on mute (unless you want to yell your favorite quotes at the TV together, obviously).

2. Giggle together over a GIFs-only group chat.

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GIFs are pretty much a universal language, so keep up conversation with faraway family by starting a group chat with one simple rule: GIFs only. Just send away all holiday long, and after the holidays, you can award "GIFs MVP" to whomever did so best!

3. Do virtual home tours of everyone's holiday decor.

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Need extra motivation to deck the halls this year? Take turns using your tablets or phones to tour each other around all your dreamy holiday decorations. "Ah yes, and here, you can see the fake fireplace. It doesn't work, so I added these sparkly lights to make it look like it does."

4. Go "caroling" with nightly voice notes.

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Sate your appetite for door-to-door celebrations with a little virtual caroling. Leave your loved ones voice notes of you singing holiday standards. Or pick out their individual favorites to make them feel extra special. (And if you go off-key, who cares? You don't have to look at anyone's face while you sing!)

5. Share smiles all month long with an email advent calendar.

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Start an email chain with your relatives and for the month of December, assign one or more dates for each relative to share an old family photo. It's sure to bring a daily dose of smiles and laughter no matter where everyone is celebrating. (And hey, pop a piece of chocolate from an actual advent calendar while you do so. Why not?)

6. Stage a talent show with your siblings and younger cousins.

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Want to provide some easy entertainment for the older folks? Organize a talent show with creative siblings and cousins! Each person can present a song, dance, magic trick, story, or any number of other talents. You can even livestream the show for your audience of family and friends so they can chat and comment after each performance!

7. Surprise kids with a video visit from Santa.

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Mall Santas will likely be lacking this year. Instead, why not plan a video call from the North Pole?! Have a family member (or willing friend) deck out a small area with a DIY Santa setup and dial in from his "workshop" in full costume! Bonus: No one will be trying to pull off his beard.

8. Have mom or dad give you a holiday cooking lesson.

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You can still get a taste of holiday home cooking, even if you're not at home. Have a parent teach you how to make one of their famous dishes over video chat. Even better, have your sibs tune in, too, and then go head-to-head to see who can make the dish look the most like it used to when you were kids.

9. Run an ugly cookie decorating contest.

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Get friends and family together virtually to bake cookies and then decorate them on a deadline, knowing that the goal is to create the ugliest holiday cookie of all time. It'll be just like failing in the kitchen over the holidays in real time! (Best part? You can all eat your ugly creations together on video before you hang up.)

10. Get a shared holiday playlist going to sync your emotions.

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You don't have to be sharing screens to share the same headspace. Start a collaborative playlist and have everyone add a handful of songs they're listening to on repeat, and you can listen to it (and add to it!) all month long. Ask your smart speaker to queue it up every morning so you're really waking up in sync, or turn it into a live virtual dance party on a Saturday night.

11. Send grandma encouraging texts when she can't figure out video calls.

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Not everyone is cut out for the tech life, but that doesn't mean they have to feel left out. If your older loved ones struggle with video calls, you can send them screenshots or encouraging text to make them feel like they're in the (digital) room with you.

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