one of the things josh and i have tried to do more around the holiday season is spend quality time together. while we like to try to give each other gifts at christmas, we have found over the years we enjoy sharing experiences and time together more. so besides filling up christmas stockings for one another, we try to fill up our winter with several fun date nights!

i started compiling a list of things we’d like to do together this year (might be slightly tricky with a newborn, but we’re hoping to try to fit in a few of these at least!)

12 date ideas for the holiday season!

1. go ice skating outside (i still haven’t been ice skating here in the city, and they have that sweet little outdoor rink in central park! i’m usually either pregnant or holding a baby this time of year, so it is happening this year after baby gets here!)
2. do an act of service together by volunteering or helping someone else out.
3. take a break from holiday shopping together and dine at a hidden restaurant! (josh found this secret train car inside bloomingdales that we want to try! how cool is that?)
4. make each other a playlist of our favorite christmas music, or search for new christmas music together. (it’s been so long since we’ve discovered new bands or artists, i think this would be a really fun activity.)
5. take a carriage or sleigh ride while it snows (this has been on my bucket list forever! a bit harder to accomplish in NYC, but keeping it on the list!)
6. visit santa and a toy store (preferably without the kids? kind of brings me back to the pre-marriage dating days… we visited santa together at macy’s and i loved it. and walk through the toy store not shopping for the kids, but just to reminisce and go back in time for ourselves. ps- if you’re in NYC, THIS is the best santa to visit in my opinion.)
7. take a cooking or dance class together.
8. grab a hot chocolate and go see all the christmas lights and festive window displays together.
9. make a christmas ornament together (HERE is a great list of 10 easy DIY ornaments) or make wrapping paper together (i love THIS tutorial.)
10. build a fort out of blankets and sleep inside it (maybe once i’m no longer 38 weeks pregnant!) roast s’mores and read classic christmas stories together out loud inside the fort. (we have always loved making forts together. a few old ones HERE and HERE and HERE.) josh actually proposed to me inside a blanket fort back in the day. so they are extra special to us!
11. head out to a matinee movie or performance. and of course share a large popcorn and large soda that is just so bad for you it’s good! that part is essential! :)
12. find snow, make an igloo or snowman or have a snowball fight! (because seriously, corny as it sounds, it doesn’t get more fun than that!)

what are your favorite dates to do during the holiday season?

photo is an oldie of us by tim coulson.