Ah, New England winters. You are so beautiful, and yet so monstrous.
In the past I had always dreaded winter. I talked about moving somewhere that’s warm and sunny on a regular basis, especially on days we had snow storms.
This year I have turned a new leaf, or you might say… turned a new snowflake? I have decided I am going to try and enjoy winter. The freezing temps, windy days, tons of snow, slippery roads, short days… It’s a challenging task but I believe I can turn my preferences around! Who is with me?
Below are 25 date night ideas for the cold, wintery season. I wrote these with my own relationship in mind, for a couple that is already dating. But these could be first date ideas too! Enjoy.
*Disclaimer: changes with 2020 have certainly influenced this list. Some activities may not be available/appropriate now, but the hope is they can either be safely modified or saved for next winter!
Put on your favorite outfits and go to the movies. Pretend it's a first date, put in the extra effort to impress your partner.
Have a game night. Scategories Categories is definitely my favorite, it makes for super fun conversation!
Visit a Best Buy. Best Buy has so many appliances to play with. Turn up the music in the audio section and get jiggy wit it.
Grab a notebook and get ready for the new year. Individually write what you hope to accomplish 1 year from now, and 5 years from now. Share with each other and talk about how your partner can support you!
Order take out. What's your favorite to go? Chinese? Pizza? Sushi? Burgers? Bring it home and enjoy over your favorite movie. Grab a bouquet of flowers on the way home and light some candles for a romanic effect.
Build a fort. Honestly, the more we act and do things that we did as kids, the more fun we have as adults. I truly believe that! Make a fort out of all the blankets, pillows, furniture, books, etc. that you have. Anything you can get your hands on use it to build the most epic castle.
Go to Victoria's Secret. Walk around observing all the models and beautiful lingerie. Pick out a favorite outfit that you both like. You don't actually have to buy it! Just enjoy learning what your partner likes.
Visit a museum. Science museums or children's museum are the most fun in my opinion. Choose whatever you're interested in!
Find a local holiday festival. This time of the year there are all sorts of holiday parades and festivals. Facebook is a great place to browse, or use google!
Have a movie night on the couch. Bring all (I mean ALL) your pillows and blankets into the living room and build yourself a luxurious palace for snuggling. Popcorn with M&Ms anyone?
Visit a craft fair together. This is almost like going to a museum, just browse and admire the creations of the vendors. You don't have to purchase anything, it's simply a fun date for the two of you to try out something new.
Find the nearest indoor farmers market. Hooray for local goodies! Most markets run 9am-1pm on Saturdays, but some are on other days of the week. Farmers will typically have samples and are lots of fun to talk to about their products.
Have a friends game night. Ask everyone to bring an appetizer and their favorite party game.
Walk through a greenhouse. Check for local greenhouses in your area. The great part about this is it's a perfect way to warm up when it's chilly outside! Admire the plants, talk about which ones you like. Home Depot and Lowes have plant sections if you don't have any local nurseries.
Make holiday ornaments. Michael's Arts and Crafts (or whichever your local craft store is) sells clear ornaments for fairly cheap. Buy your favorite colored paint, a couple brushes, glitter if you're feeling extra spicy, and paint yourself some ornaments! Pintrest has lots of ideas as far as design goes.
Go for a walk. Bundle up and go outside for a snowy walk together. The exercise will get your feel good hormones activated, and breathing outdoor air clams your nervous system. This will help you get to that 10,000 steps per day!
Bake and decorate cookies. Search Pintrest for some fun holiday cookies. A few of my favorites are melting snowman cookies, these adorable reindeer cookies, simple and easy candy cane hearts, and lastly the classic gingerbread cookies.
Visit your local library. Libraries are the shit if you ask me. They are always posting about local happenings and free workshops. While you're there, stroll into your favorite section (travel, crafts, cooking, whatever it may be) and check out a book together.
Volunteer. There is something so wonderful about dedicating your time for a good cause. I volunteered at my local food pantry for a few years and it was an incredibly rewarding experience. You could look for opportunities at local meal sites/food pantries, animal shelters, libraries, or even senior centers.
Organize a cookie swap. Get together with friends/family and organize a cookie swap. Challenge everyone to make a healthy twist on their recipe. Beet brownies and black bean truffles are my 2 favs!
Build a snowman. Seriously, when was the last time you did this? Now that you're older and stronger than you were when you were in second grade, you can make a seriously large snowman. Get a carrot, stick some twigs in for its arms, and give it a name!
Practice gratitude. Individually write down what you are grateful for. When you are finished share them with each other. Gratitude leads to a feeling of abundance, which then attracts more abundance.
Set the mood. If your TV allows, get YouTube up and turn on a "fireplace." If you have a real one, that's even better! Light a few candles, make some tea, get some cozy blankets, and sit next to each other talking about your day.
Let out your inner artist. Coloring, painting, making bird seed feeders, whatever your hearts desire. Visit your local craft store and find something that interests you. You could buy a bird house and paint it, or buy clay and make a little picture frame.
Go sledding. You will laugh just like a kid all the way down the hill. It's even more fun going down double. For those of you thrill seekers, build yourself a jump for some extra excitement!
I guess winter isn’t all that bad… there are plenty of fun and exciting things to do!
Overall, the best piece of advice I can say is try something new. It might feel awkward or uncomfortable at first… “Ugh, why am I completely unraveling my bed sheets for a fort?”
Because it’s awesome! Because it will make you laugh! Because you will be creating unique and memorable experiences with your partner.
Trust me. You will enjoy it. So look that list over one more time and choose an activity right now that you will do with your partner. It is so important to be actionable! That is how you create the life you want to have. Not from sitting around saying things like “oh yeah that sounds like a good idea” and forgetting it the next day. The life you desire comes from making your intensions specific, “I am going to build a snowman with my partner Saturday morning, we will name it Walter and he will wear a red scarf.”
Okay, the details don’t have to be that specific, but you get the idea.
So take the sheets off! Get outside and make the snowman! Go sledding! Make brownies from beets! It will be 110% worth the irreplaceable laughs and memories you will create together.
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