Festive date ideas that foster holiday spirit

Dec 14, 2012 6:00 AM by Jessica Padykula

Posted in Love & Sex / Marriage & Relationships / Couple Time & Romance

Check out the neighborhood lights

One of the simplest yet most festive activities we can think of is bundling up, grabbing your sweetie and taking a walk to check out all the twinkly holiday lights in your area. Seeing multiple houses lit up for Christmas always gets us in the festive spirit but doing so while hand in hand with your honey? Now that’s even better.

Go ice skating

Even if you’re a little shaky on skates, there are few better ways to spend an afternoon or evening around the holidays than gliding around an outdoor rink. Have fun holding each other up, skating hand-in-hand and sipping hot chocolate as snow swirls around you. There’s something about skating that conjures up memories of childhood Christmases, making it a romantic (if somewhat nostalgic) thing to do with someone you love. Click here to search rinks in your area.

Have a holiday movie marathon

What better way to get in the festive spirit than with some seasonal holiday movies? Grab your favorites, from the funny (National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation, A Christmas Story), to the cute (A Muppet Christmas Carol) to the classic (Miracle on 34th Street, It’s a Wonderful Life) and settle in for a seasonal movie marathon. Don’t forget the candy canes and Christmas cookies.

Decorate

Whether you live together or not, spend some time decorating his place or yours (or both). Head to a dollar store or thrift store and pull together some fun, festive decor on the cheap, pour yourselves some hot apple cider or some mulled wine and have a blast putting up tinsel, hanging lights and otherwise creating some holiday cheer.

Pick out a tree together

A quintessential holiday activity, going to pick out a Christmas tree can be a fun and festive date idea, especially if you go all out and decide to chop down your own tree. While this option isn’t for the non-outdoorsy types, if you don’t mind bundling up and braving some wind and snow, the rush of choosing your own tree — and then cutting it down — can be a great way to spend the day together. Check out where to find some choose-and-cut farms here.

Make gingerbread houses

Even if neither of you bake, you can still pick up gingerbread decorating kits at most grocery stores, which can be a festive way to spend some seasonal time as a twosome. Spend the afternoon seeing who can get the most creative or outlandish with their gingerbread house decor. Better yet, invite a few more couples over and have everyone decorate their houses as teams. Then vote on the best one (you can’t vote for your own) and have a prize for the winning couple to take home.

More relationship tips

5 Easy ways to make more time for each other
Show him the love: Romantic gestures from you to him
The most attractive trait in men is...

Tags: date ideas

Comments

Comments on "Festive date ideas that foster holiday spirit"

I think it's very romantic to pick out and decorate the tree together. Play Christmas music, split a bottle of wine, etc. Thanks for the ideas!

I want to make gingerbread houses together this year! I'll probably make a few holiday-inspired cocktails to go with it and play Christmas music in the background.

My husband and I are wanting to do all of these suggestions! Last night we drove around and looked at lights, that's always my favorite tradition.