These date ideas will make your holiday season extra merry
Though it may not be as romantic to kiss under mistletoe through a N95 mask, who says that romance has to die over the holidays? You and your special someone can still celebrate safely with at-home holiday date ideas.
Despite the recent provincial-wide COVID-19 regulations that restrict social gatherings — sadly, no post-date, coming upstairs for eggnog — there are still plenty of ways to enjoy the holidays with a special someone from the comfort of your home.
That being said, this is not the time to be striking out into new Tinder territory or asking out someone from your online class (however that could be done). In other words, this is not the time for new dates. The effectiveness of the new provincial restrictions will help determine if many students get the opportunity to see their families over the winter break and holiday season.
So for those who live with their partner, or have a partner in their newly defined core bubble, here are some at-home holiday date ideas that will help you get in the seasonal spirit.
Home Theatre
No one says you need to pay an exorbitant fee at a cinema to see a movie. Just turn on the TV and open your favourite streaming site to tune into your favourite holiday special.
We’ve all grown tired of watching Netflix for the past few months of isolation. Why not spice up your evening movie watching? Whether you like to watch on a projector, TV, or laptop, you can create a comfy space for you and your partner with the help of pillows, a blanket, and some fairy lights. Think blanket fort, with style!
Setting up a space with pillows on the floor and blankets hung around the TV or pitched on couch cushions can make your viewing experience extra cozy and secluded from the messy COVID-19-filled world outside. Fairy lights are a nice trick to bring a yellow-light ambience to your fort and allow you to see any movie-watching snacks you’ve prepared. Just add some holiday classic movies and the magic of your theatre will come to life. A little effort goes a long way, especially if you surprise your partner with their very own DIY home theatre.
Bake Your Own Snacks
This holiday-date idea is perfect for food lovers. Let’s be honest, you don’t really know someone unless you’ve tried to cook something with them. For this at-home holiday date idea, try going splitsies on any baking ingredients you don’t already have and section off some time for you and your partner to test out a new or old recipe.
This can be anything from gingerbread houses or sugar cookies, breads, latkes (always a great choice), or whatever traditional holiday treat you grew up eating. Try out a new holiday treat, alongside your traditional go-tos. Of course, there’s ample opportunity to tease or praise your partner’s skills in the kitchen.
The true perk of staying home is that you get to create the menu. Nothing is off limits, if fancy pancakes, a charcuterie board, or a special fruit salad feels in the holiday spirit to you, who’s going to stop you?
Fancy Hot Drinks
Everyone has a favourite hot beverage, whether it’s morning coffee, study tea, or a cheeky hot chocolate. Why not make an event out of it by creating a masterpiece or a monstrosity with copious amounts marshmallows, sprinkles, and whipped cream? Think about creating a hot drinks station full of all the sweets you can get your hands on.
If you and your partner drink, don’t be afraid to sample some holiday liqueurs. Bailey’s, Captain Morgan, and Smirnoff all offer a wide array of different flavour alcohols that can add a little warmth to your holiday beverages.
For those open to a little work, making your own eggnog from scratch can also be a very fun, if not nerve-wracking, activity. No matter what beverage you decide to make, go full out! Even if it’s a disaster, it’ll surely create something worthy of posting on social media.
Decorate the house (featuring holiday tunes)
For those who have managed to wait until December rolls around to decorate, this at-home holiday date idea is just for you. We all spend so much time indoors as it is, taking a little time from your busy schedule to transform that space into a holiday-themed paradise may help make working at your desk or table day-after-day a little more bearable.
Homemade decorations can be a lot of fun. A quick google search for crafts and creative tree options for those so inclined can yield some great options. For those celebrating Christmas who want to put up a tree without killing one in the process, some garden stores offer potted trees that can be planted once you’re done with them. As an added bonus, a tree in a planter will save you the dead needle clean-up once the holiday season is over.
Learn about your partners traditions, and make your own
The holidays are a great time to relive old traditions or start new ones. Why not talk with your partner and learn about their own holiday practices? The holidays may seem to some as an archaic reliving of old family rituals, but the real point of the holidays is to come together with people you care about and to appreciate your time together.
Starting new traditions is also an exciting way to create a unique experience that you and your partner can enjoy together. Order takeout, watch Die Hard, or go for a polar dip in the ocean.
This holiday season will be difficult for many with COVID restrictions factoring into who you can see and what you can do. By doing little things at home, you can make this holiday season a little more bright. Who knows, maybe in years to come, there will be a burst of new and varied COVID-era holiday traditions.
Happy holidays everyone!
