It’s Winter Solstice this weekend, and the shortest day of the year. Winter is not my favorite season. I prefer the warmer months, but I try to embrace all that winter has to offer. We are also not winter sports people so the skiing and snowboarding that everyone spends every weekend doing in the winter don’t appeal to us. We have, however, found some enjoyable winter date ideas that are perfect for the colder months. I find myself looking forward to the cold and the snow because I know that it means we’ll get to do some of those fun winter activities we enjoy doing together.
You won’t find us doing the same thing for date night each week. We love the classic dinner and a movie date. But we also love to experience new things together. And date night is the perfect opportunity for a little adventure. We love to try new restaurants, check out different places made for fun in the area, and enjoy the seasonal activities available where we live.
This list of winter date night ideas includes things that can be done at home or out on the town. It has activities for snow bunnies and for those of us who prefer to stay indoors where it is warm. You can even take a few of the ideas and turn them into multiple dates, depending on how you participate in the activity each time (ie the hot chocolate tasting date).
I hope this list inspires you to make date night a priority in your marriage and spend intentional quality time together this season!
Spend an afternoon outside in the snow. Pick a base and build your snowball stockpile. Then have fun feeling young and tossing snowballs at each other. Don’t keep score, only play for fun! After you’re done, cuddle up together and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate to help you get warm.
Whether you ski or snowboard, spend the day on the mountain together. You might even try night skiing. Meet at the lodge afterward and have a quality conversation while drinking hot chocolate.
Ask around to find the best sledding hill in the area. Stop by the store or blow up some inner tubes and spend an afternoon outside together. Race down the hill to see who’s the fastest or hold hands and go down the hill together. When you’re finished, grab comfort food at your favorite restaurant and enjoy quality conversation.
Most areas have great outdoor skating rinks during the winter, as long as the temperature is cool enough. There’s something so cozy and romantic about bundling up and holding hands while skating around on the ice. Finish your date with a delicious dessert! (I can’t help but think of the movie, Serendipity when I think about this date night idea.)
Ask your friends and family what their recommendations are for where to get the best cup of hot chocolate. Write down all of their suggestions and map out a route for your tour. Spend the afternoon drinking a cup of hot chocolate from each location. Or pick onespot to try each week as part of your date night.
Related: At Home Date Idea – Hot Chocolate Tasting
Winter is a great time to do service and there are many ways to do it! Food pantries are always in need of items to distribute among families in the community. Visit the local food bank website for a list of items you can donate, then spend the money you would have spent on date night getting those things at the store. You could also purchase pairs of gloves, snacks, and a few things of bottled water. Drive around downtown and pass a pair of gloves, a snack bag, and water out to those you see who are in need. Check out justserve.org for specific service opportunities in your area.
Toward the end of the year, go out to dinner and bring a notebook with you. Check out this post on setting goals as a couple and use it to help you create and set goals for your marriage in the new year.
Related: Setting S.M.A.R.T. Goals in Your Marriage
I love when it snows at night and the world is quiet, and the snow adds an extra feeling of peace to the world. One night when it’s snowing, bundle up, then stand together and enjoy it. It could take the place of a summer rainstorm and you could make out in the snowfall instead. After you’re done, share a cup of hot chocolate and warm up in front of the fire.
Go outside when the snow is falling and have a contest to see who can catch the most snowflakes on their tongue. The winner gets to relax on the couch while the other spouse makes dessert and gives them a foot rub.
This date is ideal when the snow is fresh. There are a lot of different recipes and ways you can make this, based on your personal preference. Search Pinterest and try out the recipe that appeals to you the most, then enjoy your wintery treat together!
Sitting next to the fire sounds simple but might be just what you need in the middle of a busy, cold season. Cuddle up with blankets, and your favorite drink, and turn on your favorite music, a podcast, or an audiobook. Enjoy just being there together in the warmth and the calm.
Late night walks are quiet and relaxing and a great time to talk and dream together. Put on your warmest clothes and just walk together, enjoying the silence that comes with freshly fallen snow. You may want to wear snow boots or hiking boots so you’re not surprised by slick spots on the sidewalk. Make sure to wear lighter colors or carry a light with you to let cars know you’re there and stay safe!
When you get that perfect snowfall, plan a time to go out together and build snowpeople! Create your own unique designs, using creative objects for their faces, hair, clothes, etc. Post pictures on social media to have your friends and family vote for their favorites. Give them names and a story to entertain the whole neighborhood. Have fun with this activity!
Maybe you can’t afford to get away for a romantic weekend together, but you can plan and start preparing for one now. Decide how long you’re going to be gone, where you are going to stay, what you will do for the weekend, and where you want to eat. Sit down together and browse the internet to find everything you need. After you’ve made your plans, set a date and start saving money to put your plan into action.
Related: Why Overnight Dates are a Priority in Our Marriage
Get a pizza and sit on the couch together for a night of friendly competition. Keep track of who wins each game and at the end of the night, give a prize to the one who has won the most or pass out consequences to the loser (ie has to do the dishes for a week).
Put your phones on silent and turn off the TV. Make a meal together, play games, and just talk.
Subscription boxes are a great option for date night on those winter nights when the family is sick and you can’t go out. They’re planned and prepared dates that are delivered right to your door. Sometimes you have to grab a couple of things to complete a recipe or activity, but for the most part, everything you need is included in the box.
Related: Subscription Boxes Perfect for Date Night
Set up your tent in the living room, blow up your air mattress, play card games, and eat camp food. Search Pinterest for indoor s’mores, have hot dogs, or cook hobo dinners (meat, potatoes, and other vegetables cooked in a tin foil packet) in the oven.
Related: Indoor Campout – At Home Date Night Idea
Pick your favorite movie series and have a marathon! Plan themed snacks, a few games to keep you active in between movies, and maybe a “phrase/word counting” game. You can spread the movies out over a month, the weekend, or watch them all in one day.
Related: Movies You’ll Both Enjoy Watching for Date Night
Grab both of your iPods or turn on your favorite Pandora channel. Listen to each of your current favorites, the songs that were your favorites in junior high and high school, or your wedding songs, or set your iPod on shuffle and listen to whatever ends up in the queue. Songs have a way of bringing back memories. This date would give you a great opportunity to reminisce together or get to know each other better by sharing stories that your spouse may not already know.
Related: At Home Date Idea – Music Library Party
Pick up your favorite bath bomb or bath salts and set candles out around your bathroom. Climb into the bathtub together and just enjoy being together. We like to grab our fancier glasses and a bottle of sparkling cider to add to the romantic atmosphere that we’ve created. This is definitely my kind of winter date idea.
Organize the video clips you’ve saved on your hard drive together. Spend a few hours watching each video together and remembering those moments in your marriage and your family. You could also grab old family movies from your parents and make a movie night out of sharing those moments from your childhood with each other.
Work together to build something amazing using building blocks. The tallest tower, a small Lego town, a model of your current or dream home, or the craziest looking creature. If you have kids, team up with them to see who can come up with the best design for a house, car, tower, or castle. You might display your “sculptures” somewhere in your house for the next week, admiring your designs, rather than tearing them apart immediately.
Related: At Home Winter Date Ideas to Keep Your Love Warm
Search for fondue recipes on Pinterest. Make them together and enjoy a romantic evening dipping your favorite foods in cheese and chocolate. If you feel like splurging and there’s one near you, go to The Melting Pot. You can enjoy The Melting Pot on a smaller budget by going for dessert or ordering a simple meal with the cheese course. Or you can go big with a full four-course meal.
Find out what community theaters are in your area and pick one with tickets within your budget. Look at the shows that are scheduled for their current season and pick one that interests you. If you’re feeling really ambitious, you can become season ticket holders. It could be nice to have a date night already planned and on the calendar every couple of months.
Escape rooms are a lot of fun, especially if you bring a few friends along. If you don’t have one near you, or if they are out of your budget, you can enjoy one at home. Click here for some great escape room and mystery game subscription boxes. You can get a one-time box, or subscribe to receive more mysteries or different pieces of a mystery throughout the year.
Art studios in your area may host paint nights geared toward date night, where each spouse paints half of a painting, on two separate canvases. No matter your skill level, you should be able to create something that you will be proud to display, thanks to the experts who will be there to guide you on your way. I’ve also heard that Bob Ross is on Netflix. If the two of you aren’t able to leave home or afford a paint night, watch his show and use your own colored pencils or crayons and printer paper to do your best recreation of his work.
Related: Couples Paint Night Date for Couples in Every Stage of Life
Invite your friend group or your siblings and their significant others to your house for a few hours. Pull out your favorite games and have everyone bring their favorite snack. Some of our favorite group games include Play Nine, Apples to Apples, Telestrations, Pass the Pigs, and Battle of the Sexes.
Invite a group of your favorite couples over for a favorite things party. Have each couple or individual bring three of the same thing, their favorite thing, to swap. Also, invite everyone to bring a favorite sweet and/or savory potluck dish or snack. Play a “favorite things” version of the Newlywed Game, swap gifts, and eat good food with good friends.
Related: Low-Key Holiday Date Night Ideas
Make your own gingerbread house pieces or pick up a kit from the store. You can even find kits in the bakery section, freshly baked. Use frosting and your favorite candy to build and decorate your house. Make them look however you want, and display them after they’re finished.
You can enjoy this date night activity even after the holidays are over. Most people leave their lights up until the snow melts and often turn them on each night at least through January. We get a cup of hot chocolate, turn on Christmas music, and drive around talking and looking for the best light displays together. It’s low-key and a great opportunity to connect during one of the busier seasons for our family. This is my favorite kind of winter date idea.
Related: Christmas Lights Drive Date
Make sugar cookies, either from scratch or a mix, then frost and decorate them together. Go shopping beforehand for sprinkles, candy, and any other embellishments that you might use to decorate. Deliver plates of them to neighbors and friends after you’re done.
Related: The Best Sugar Cookie Recipe
Take a drive around different neighborhoods and enjoy the holiday light displays that are up. You’ll find some set to music, and others that are just extravagantly designed. Find a scavenger hunt sheet online that you can print and bring with you to turn the night into a competition. Stop for a cup of hot cocoa after you’re done viewing the lights!
Pull your mattress down and put it under the tree, or make a soft place to lay with blankets. Turn on quiet Christmas music and turn off all the lights except the ones on the tree. Fall asleep holding hands and cuddling next to the light of the tree. This is a fun Christmas Adam (the day before Christmas Eve) tradition. It can also be fun to do the night you put up the tree for the season.
Hang a sprig of mistletoe, dim the lights, and invite your spouse to makeout. Nothing more, just a good makeout session like you’d enjoy in high school.
Whether you’re out with friends and family or enjoying a quiet celebration at home for the new year, spend the last 15 minutes of the year together. Hold each other close, participate in the 10-second countdown, and kiss your way into the new year!
Related: Plan a Romantic New Year’s Eve Getaway
The best thing to do as part of any winter date night, in my personal/professional opinion, is to curl up together with your coziest blanket and keep each other warm. Enjoy being together and enjoy the things you can do right now that you can’t do any other season. I hope these winter date ideas can help you do just that, even if you genuinely dislike the winter and the cold, like me.
For more date night ideas like these, check out the book, Prioritizing Date Night in Your Marriage, with 300+ date night ideas.
Happy dating friends!
