Food. Games. Museums. What more do you need this holiday season?

There’s no doubt that this year has been one crazy rollercoaster ride. And many of us are anxious for what the new year will bring.

But for now, we’re here to tell you that yes, it’s still totally possible to have a joyous holiday season! Simply grab your laptop, iPad, cellphone, or any other technological device you use, and begin exploring the abundance of fun virtual opportunities that await.

Food always brings us together

The holidays are upon us and a "virtual dinner gathering can actually be a beautiful way to recreate the big, festive Thanksgiving dinner we’re all used to, but doing it in a way that is safer for our friends and family," says writer Aly Walansky in the Forbes article A Virtual Thanksgiving Dinner Is The Best Way To Celebrate Family And Show Gratitude This Year. Here, Aly discusses just about everything from making the invitations to cooking the big meal together.

To help make the most of your virtual turkey time this year, digital publisher Romper shares 10 great quarantine-style tips for your use, and Delish offers the following few articles we think are worth checking out.

• 8 Ways To Celebrate Thanksgiving Safely And On A Smaller Scale This Year
• Thanksgiving For Two: 15 Small Holiday Bites With BIG Flavor
• 34 Traditional Dishes You Need To Make The Ultimate Thanksgiving Menu
• 42 DIY Thanksgiving Decorations That Even Amateur Crafters Can Make

What if you aren’t having a traditional Thanksgiving dinner, but you’ve got kids around and still want to plan something special? Well, the Family Dinner Project’s Pandemic 2020: Virtual Dinner Party Guide is perfect! Complete with printable games and great conversation starters, this extensive guide will help you create a virtual dinner party the entire family will enjoy.

And no matter the occasion, when it comes to throwing a dinner party virtual-style, look to this creatively fun how-to guide from Delish. According to Delish’s Deputy Editor Sarah Weinberg, “WIFI is the new long table and your phone is the new place setting.” So, let’s make the most of our technology this holiday season!

Attend an online class & enjoy a virtual experience

Let's just keep this food-theme going. These days, virtual cooking classes can offer you a fun change of pace, bring an element of socialization into your day and fill your fridge with wonderful meals. And why not start at a museum! Our WestMuse blog article Cooking at Home: Museum Inspired Recipes will show you how you can cook with museum chefs, make artist-inspired recipes, and even learn a little bit about food history.

With traveling out of the question this fall, you can still take your taste buds on a trip around the world with these 20+ virtual cooking classes. Make fresh Italian gnocchi or Taiwanese delicacies like scallion pancakes and dumplings. You can definitely count us in for the homemade focaccia tutorial! And when it comes to learning cost-saving tips and fancily decorating cakes, these 6 virtual cooking classes will inspire you in your kitchen any day.

Switching gears, you can find a whole slew of online classes and virtual experiences with Airbnb. From cooking and baking, to dancing and making art, Airbnb's Online Experiences portal is the place to explore.

And maybe it's just us, but when we think of virtual experiences, we automatically think "museum."

Museums are one of the best places to immerse yourself in an experience that will take you away from your daily at-home routine. For your free use, the Museum Computer Network (MCN) has put together The Ultimate Guide to Virtual Museum Resources, E-Learning, and Online Collections. Here, you'll find an extensive list of tours, exhibits, collections, e-learning activities, and digital archives to wonder through. And for the art museum obsessed, the LA Times has put together a list of the 10 best coffee table art books to help spark some creativity this fall.

Now, rather than staying indoors, why not take a stroll outside?

The world’s leading travel media brand AFAR says you can “lace up your virtual hiking boots and get your national park fix online.” Both Google Arts & Culture and Google Earth offer free, immersive, guided tours of national parks, seashores, monuments, and historic sites; and you can surround yourself with soundscapes from the National Park Service’s Sound Library. To see what other virtual experiences you can enjoy, click here.

Have fun with these virtual holiday-themed games & party ideas

The holiday festivities don’t have to stop this year! MuseumHack has created the ultimate list of games, crafts, and unique party ideas that will most definitely create some warm holiday cheer! From online Bingo and dramatic readings, to virtual cocoa breaks and crafting festive ornaments, you’re bound to find something in MuseumHack’s list of 22 Virtual Party Ideas for all your holiday Zoom meetings.

This fall let’s take it back to the classics. Pictionary, Charades, and Trivia are some of the easiest games you can play virtually. The New York Times shares how you can play classic board games like Battleship or Monopoly with a touch of tech and a few special hacks. But here are our favorite classic games with a virtual twist.

• How to Play Pictionary on Zoom
• How to play Charades on Zoom
• How to Host a Virtual Bingo Game
• Trivia Night – Random Trivia Generator
• Would You Rather Questions
• Virtual Scavenger Hunt Ideas & Sample Lists

No matter if you’re looking for kid-friendly Zoom scavenger hunts, or adult-centered games like Cards Against Humanity, you will certainly find something to enjoy among these 53 Best Zoom Games to Play.

Bottom line, whether you’re flying solo in the kitchen, embarking on a virtual museum experience with friends, or enjoying a game night with your family, there are a wealth of virtual opportunities that can fill your 2020 holiday season with laughter, happiness, and love. And we hope these do just that.

Happy Holidays!

Written by Jessica Noyes, Communications Coordinator, WMA