Thursday, December 10, 2015

Christmas Season Date Night Ideas


Before we get into today's regular post, I wanted to share something much more important that I stumbled upon.  A little girl, Safyre (who lost her family to a fire that was intentionally set in 2013 as well as being badly burned herself, having her right hand amputated and more recently, her left foot amputated) asked for just one thing this holiday season - Christmas cards.  (more on the story can be found: here).  You can send her cards to her at… 

Safyre, P.O. Box 6126, Schenectady, NY, 12306

Help bring a smile to her face and spread the word for many more to do the same! 

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We are nine days into the holiday season (even more if you're counting before Thanksgiving which DOES count).  This is my favorite time of the year and I think of it many many times throughout the year.  Now that I'm married, I love it even more! We have such fun doing our "own" little things to celebrate the season.  There are so many great things - big and little - for couples to enjoy this time together.  We are all about starting a new tradition, no matter what the time.

A lot of people commented last week when I shared how Derek and I do "Christmas Just the Two" how much they loved the idea (or did something similar!) so I thought I'd share some other things we do, would like to do or are trying new this year.  Eighteen of my favorite ideas below…

Christmas Just the Two:  Just before Christmas (the 22nd or 23rd) or even Christmas Eve, a time to celebrate the holiday with just the two of you and have a focus on just that.  *This is my favorite thing that we do right now with a special dinner and gift opening.  Even after we have children I always want to continue with this - maybe with us opening gifts together with a special cocktail on Christmas Eve

A Christmas Production: The Christmas Story, The Nutcracker, a local holiday show - these would all make the perfect date night.  This is a new one we're trying this year.

Christmas Lights Night: So easy! Grab some coffee or hot chocolate, some Christmas music and set out for the neighborhoods near yours and enjoy the beauty of the Christmas lights.

Gift Shopping Date: It makes Christmas shopping a lot more fun, I'll say that! Set out for an afternoon or evening of shopping followed up by dinner and you have yourselves a nice little night out while crossing some shopping off the list.

Stocking Stuffer Date: Focusing just on these little items one night.  Whether you go with your significant other, split up and shop for each other or if you're both shopping for others' stockings together - these are some of the most fun Christmas items to shop for and doing it together can make it even more fun.

Visit Santa: Who said this is only for kids?  I think every couple should grab this shot (the guy might not be super into it, but with a good lunch or dinner following it - he may change his mind!).  I treasure the shot we got our first married Christmas.

Tree Lighting (or visiting the tree after): Attending a local tree lighting is so "Christmasy."  If you can't make it to the lighting, just visiting the tree during the season is good enough - it would make for a nice festive night out.

Christmas Movie Night With All the Fixings: 25 Days of Christmas, Hallmark Christmas Movies, DVD's… There are plenty out there.  It would be a perfect night in to watch one of these classics with all the delicious movie theater snacks.  *This is one I've been so wanting to find the time for, for a while now.

Wrapping Party: In our house it's the lady that does the wrapping (The lady loves picking out the paper, making nice tags, and packaging up the gifts.  The gent also really enjoys how this goes down).  It would be an enjoyable task if you each poured yourselves a festive cocktail and enjoyed the festiveness together.

Ice Skating: The classic winter date activity need I say more.

Play Hooky - Day Date: Shopping, Activities, Shows - it is nice to do all these things while avoiding a crowd.  If possible, both take the day off and enjoy a day date of all things festive.

Give Back: Gathering food for the food bank, shopping together for an angel tree gift, volunteering at local places, etc.  Turn giving back into a date and it's the perfect time to spend together.

Gingerbread House Making: Another classic holiday event.  This one is another one that isn't just for the kids.  Bring out your inner child and build a house together or perhaps turn it into a competition and each make your own.

Plan a Progressive Dinner: My parents, aunts and uncle did this one when they were my age - appetizers at one house, soup/salad at another house, entrees at another and dessert at a final house.  Get toughener with your man and plan the night out for a fun night to enjoy with neighbors or friends with houses near by.

Tree Cutting Day: Make a special day out of getting your tree - whether it be a full day or just a meal attached to it - something special.  *I've never had a real tree in my life, always fake, but Derek's on the real tree train and when the time comes that we do add a real tree to our house (along with our fake ones) we most definitely will be making a day out of it.

Read an Advent Scripture/Devotional Each Night: The reason for the season - there are so many great scriptures this time of the year and it only takes a few minutes out of each day to read them together.

Carriage or Sleigh Ride: What says a Christmas date more than this?

Holiday Class (Painting, Cooking, Etc.): Painting with a twist to make a raindeer canvas, cooking a holiday meal at Sur La Table - taking part in a holiday activity is a great way to get festive.

'Tis the Season 
Linking up with Thoughts for Thursday today.

32 comments:

  1. I love these ideas, and MG and I do a lot of them. I like the playing hooky idea! :)

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  2. The wrapping party is a fun one we do on the weekends but I really want to just play hooky and spend a day together!! xo, Biana -BlovedBoston

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  3. Great ideas! And mostly all so simple, but a great way to spend time together. :)

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  4. What wonderful ideas!! I definitely need to do a Christmas movie marathon soon and I love cruising around looking at the lights! I've always wanted to make a gingerbread house...Maybe this year! =) Thank you for the inspiration!

    Melanie | Blog: Toots + Dill

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  5. We have done the "Jammie Lights," as we call it, since we have been married and it's one of our favorite traditions! We wear our pajamas, get a cup of peppermint hot chocolate from the Starbucks drive-through and go drive around looking at lights. It's so much fun!

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  6. Such great ideas! We always pick a night to snuggle up with the fire and watch a Christmas movie. Such a fun idea to get hot chocolate and go look at Christmas lights… gonna have to do that this year!

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  7. We still haven't watched any Christmas movies this year and it makes me so sad! Hopefully we'll get a chance this weekend! I love the idea of doing a progressive dinner! That way nobody is responsible for everything and you can have a great night with friends!

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  8. Loving all of these ideas especially a Christmas movie night with all the fixings! We also need to get out and look at Christmas lights <3

    Green Fashionista

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  9. These are such great ideas!! Last year we would also walk around our neighborhood to take in all the Christmas lights.

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  10. So many great ideas! I love going out to see the Christmas lights! And since it's warm here in the summer I can walk and walk and never get tired of them! <3, Pamela Sequins & Sea Breezes

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  11. what great ideas!! christmas just the two is so perfect - and you can really spend that great quality time together. and who doesn't love movies and wrapping parties?! always better when you have a partner in crime!

    xoxo cheshire kat

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  12. Great ideas! Christmas Eve the kids go to bed early and we stay up getting gifts ready and having cocktails, it's definitely a favorite of mine!

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  13. I love all these ideas! I am hoping to knock out a few on your list!

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  14. Great ideas! I totally agree it is important to carve out the time for just the two of you, or just your family. It is easy to get caught up in everything else, and that quality time is so important!

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  15. That is incredibly sad about Safyre's family and her. Who could do such a thing? Cruel. I'm definitely sending her a Christmas card this season, we all need love this year with so much hate going around.

    I love sharing Christmas with a spouse far more than I did sharing it with just family. Now I have the best of both worlds. Although, now we share it with Sophie, it's just as fun, because she enjoys Christmas too.

    The other day Kyle and I went and walked around the neighborhood just looking at all of the lights people put up. We had Sophie in the stroller and it was a great date night.

    liz @ sundays with sophie

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  16. I love the idea of a Christmas with just me and my husband. We've started doing that one almost out of necessity (so we don't have to fly aaall our presents for each other up and back for Christmas in New England haha). This list is fantastic and now I want to play hooky to go ice skating ;)

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  17. We do our own Christmas as well before leaving for family's houses and it's always a blast! This year, it's on the 19th so we can wake up, open presents and make a big breakfast :) Love all of your ideas!! The ones we do every year are the own Christmas, looking at lights (we took a walk through some of our neighborhood to see them last night), shopping dates, Christmas movies, wrapping and advent reading. The fun things you can do together are endless!

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  18. Great ideas! And my heart just breaks for that little girl, I can't even imagine. :(

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  19. Such a great round-up! We plan on doing a bunch of these this weekend: going out to check out the Christmas lights, doing dinner + a holiday movie and having a sleepover in front of the fireplace! Now if only I could get Nick to help me wrap gifts ;)

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  20. These are all great ideas! Hubs and I do the "date day" around this time every year. We just did one last Friday, and we're doing another tomorrow - we grab breakfast, shop til' we drop, eat some lunch, and then catch a movie to relax. So nice to have him to myself for an entire day. :o)

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  21. These are such good ideas! I especially love the Christmas movie night...definitely up my alley!

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  22. These are such sweet ideas!! I have been on the lookout for Christmas movies every day for the past week too. Thanks for sharing and I hope that you had a great day today!! :-)

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  23. I love to drive around the neighbourhood looking at everyone's Christmas lights! Ice skating is an annual favourite too. Great ideas!

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  24. These are all great ideas! Especially Christmas Just the Two!! How sweet! :)

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  25. These all are great ideas! I'm so excited for us to go look at all the neighborhood lights this year, hot chocolate in tow of course. :)

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  26. LOVE the ideas! We did a Christmas production this weekend and are off for some holiday nights tomorrow :)

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  27. These are all such great ideas! I love the movie night idea!

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  28. Love these ideas! We tried to do the holiday movie last night. Netflix selection was a bit sad. Hoping to get a DVD soon of something we can agree on:)

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  29. I love this list! As I read through it I kept checking things off in my head, looks like L and I should do a few more Chrismassy things together! (:

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  30. These ideas are perfect. I totally need to cross some of those off before the Christmas season is over! Thanks so much for linking up!

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  31. So many great ideas that we love doing during this special season too! Xo, Stephanie

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