The holiday season can be one of the hardest times to be intentional about our relationships. With all the hustle and bustle of buying gifts, entertaining, and conflicting schedules, finding the time to focus on each other can seem impossible.
Whether you have 1 free day or 12 this season, ring in the holiday with these 12 Dates of Christmas for you and a significant other, a friend, or even your family!
1. Go Ice Skating
This time of year is a great opportunity to ice skate the way it was meant to be done—outside! Find a local rink, get bundled up, and see if it’s as easy as it looks in the movies.
2. Have a Christmas Movie Night In
Blankets, snacks, movies, check! You’re all set for a comfy night in with your favorite Christmas movies that make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside. Dare we suggest matching PJs?
3. Bake Christmas Cookies Together
This makes a fun date day with kids or without. Find some of your favorite cookie recipes and spend an afternoon baking together! Then give them away to your neighbors or keep them for yourselves.
4. Decorate Together
As soon as Thanksgiving ends (or maybe even before?), the Christmas decorations are ready to come out of the box. Make a day of bringing the holiday back to your space by decorating together. Put on some Christmas music and start creating magic!
5. Attend a Local Christmas Show
Lots of local theaters and parks organize a holiday-themed show in the month of December! Grab a ticket for you and your plus one (or two, or three!), dress up a little, and spend the evening in the Christmas spirit as you check out some local talent.
6. Go For a Walk in Fresh Snow
This one requires a little precipitation, but there’s nothing like a walk in the fresh snow. Wait till the flakes fall, grab your coat, and head out. You’ll be amazed by how quiet the world feels.
7. Cook a Christmas Brunch at Home
Instead of going out for a fancy dinner, save some money and add some quality time by cooking an elaborate brunch at home—french toast in the shape of Christmas trees, red and green sprinkles, cranberry jam, the list goes on and on.
8. Shop for Christmas Gifts
You have to do it anyway...you may as well make it fun! Head to the mall and split your list and see who can get the most done the quickest, or spend time browsing until you find the perfect gift for each person. Finish with a nice dinner out together, talking about how each person will feel when they open their hand-picked gift!
9. Drive Around and Look at Christmas Lights
Make it an adventure to find the coolest light display in your neighborhood, and beyond!
10. Take a Cooking Class Together—Make it Christmas-Themed!
Plan ahead a little and spend some time learning a new skill, like how to cook a Christmas dinner (or maybe lower the stakes and go with lunch!).
11. Stage Your Own Photoshoot
Overcast skies and some snow on the ground make for great photos. Grab some coffee and head outside in your cutest winter attire and take some fun photos of each other. You can get artsy or keep them low-key—whatever you’re feeling!
12. Serve Your Community Together
Sometimes the most joyful parts of the season come from giving back. Spend a few hours serving at a local nursing home or soup kitchen, or volunteering in your community with a nonprofit. You might just begin a new tradition that you can make a date night every year!
Whether you use one of these ideas or not, make it a priority to invest in your relationship this season!
LCBC stands for Lives Changed By Christ, and we are one church in multiple locations across Pennsylvania. We’d love to see you for Christmas At LCBC gatherings.