Have you Zoomed a happy hour yet? If not, you’re missing out. In the age of Coronavirus, Zoom (or whatever video conferencing app you use) brings the Crystal or J-Bar to your apartment Athens style. Practice social distance and still get your social time in.
Here’s the thing — it can admittedly be rough sailing at first. When you first jump on a Zoom call with your besties, it can feel a little like an awkward work meeting — kinda like a Long Haired Businessmen Video Conference call. You have to break the ice, get the conversation rolling. Before long, you’ll forget the screen is even there. You’ll be at The Pub yucking it up — mentally miles away from your living room couch in your Athens rental.
Here are 5 secrets to less awkward Zoom meet-ups. These apply to any sort of video conferencing situation, whether with your college pals from your Columbus apartment, Athens rental house, or just with long-distance family.
Make It a Dinner Party
You could go for broke and make your social get-together an all-out dinner party. Share a menu with your guests with a dish that everybody makes it – or as close as you can get during a pandemic. This gives everyone a mutual subject to talk about – how they like the food, funny things that happened to them while cooking, how impossible it is to get a decent olive during lockdown. (We get toilet paper — but who’s hiding all the olives? Cry me a martini.)
Likewise, you can also plan a shared cocktail. Go through some drink recipes and share them online. Again, close attempts can lead to funny stories and conversation starters. Who has made a daiquiri with frozen mixed vegetables? (I did.)
Play a Game
You may be teleconferencing this get-together, but leave room for party games. Charades, Trivia Pursuit, even a game of Euchre (just don’t be tempted to cheat) can go over well. Party games were invented to break the ice and that includes Zoom parties. Soon, you’ll forget there’s even a screen between you and the Twister board.
Talk About the ‘New Normal’
We may be separated, but everyone’s living a shared experience to some degree. We’re all social distancing (or should be). Everyone lives in fear of the virus. We’re attending classes online. Some have lost jobs. They haven’t seen friends face-to-face, perhaps even significant others. It can be extremely frustrating. And it’s OK to talk about.
And of course you can revel in the positive as well. Celebrate the fact that alarm clocks are meaningless, for example. You never have to walk to class. In fact, you hardly leave your apartment rental, except to hit the streets of Athens for some fresh air. You haven’t stepped on Ohio University’s campus or had to climb Jeff Hill in ages. If you’re living in a rental near the Ohio State campus in Columbus, North High Street may as well be in Tibet for the amount of time you spend there post-pandemic.
Stream Netflix Together
Have a Zoom movie night. Everyone tunes in and watches the same thing. You can comment about the movie or show. Share a recipe from a cooking show. Yuck it up with your favorite comedian. Discuss the plot. Yell at the blond for going into the haunted house all alone.
Don’t Drink? Host a Coffee Hour
If you don’t drink, Zoom is still a great way to get together. Host a coffee or tea hour with like-minded friends. You can also do mocktails. Sharing in something delicious is a great way to bond socially.
Addendum: Early 2021
With vaccines finally getting into Americans’ arms, the days of Zoom parties – well most of them – are numbered. Buck it up for another several months and you should be able to turn off the computer, hang out at bars, meet with friends for a house party, and hug gramps and grandma in person.