Winter Date Ideas

During the winter months, it is not uncommon for couples to experience challenges in their relationships. From the “winter blues” to external pressure from families regarding holiday celebrations, winter time can be a difficult season for many couples to navigate. Here, we will discuss some of the challenges couples experience during winter, how creating special dates with your partner can strengthen your relationship, and lastly, we have some fun date ideas to help you and your partner bond.

As sunlight hours decrease in wintertime, so do serotonin levels, contributing to the winter blues. Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that acts like a hormone and is responsible for many important bodily functions such as mood regulation. The winter blues are different from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), as SAD is characterized by feeling down and depressed most days, from late fall to early spring. The winter blues, on the other hand, happen less frequently and with less severity. If you or your partner are experiencing the winter blues, this can add stress to your relationship.

The pressure of the holidays can also create another stressor for relationships. Whether it’s deciding to attend a partner’s office holiday party or debating whose family you will stay with for holiday break, the holidays can strain even the strongest of relationships. Depending on past experiences and current expectations of holidays, some people may feel joyful during the holiday season, while others feel blue.

Considering the above, it is important to nurture your relationship by spending one-on-one time together. Creating intimate and intentional moments together helps to foster communication and rekindle affection. Without interference from work obligations, family obligations, or individual internal struggles, date nights offer an opportunity to bond and strengthen your partnership. Trying something new together is also a great way to form an alliance and create lasting memories.

If you are an outdoorsy couple, spending time together outside can be a great way to boost your sunshine intake, increase serotonin levels, and embark on an adventure together. Skiing, snowboarding, snowshoeing, ice skating, and sledding, are a few activities you can do together in the great outdoors. If you have an REI store in your area, they offer affordable classes such as “moonlight snowshoeing tours,” and also offer rental gear. If an REI is not available, check out your local recreation center for outdoor excursion ideas.

If you and your partner are looking for a cozy indoor activity, cooking together is a great choice. Cooking as a couple fosters teamwork, creativity, and communication. You can take an in-person class or an online cooking class with Cozymeal, which has several national locations.

If you and your partner enjoy dancing and are a bit more extroverted, Arthur Murray Dance Centers, are located throughout the country and offer group and private dancing instruction. It can be fun to laugh, dance, and listen to music together as the two of you stumble your way through the foxtrot and tango. Dancing is a great activity to help create intimacy, boost mood, and have fun.

Overall, the winter season can be a challenging time for many couples but with fun and creative dates planned, you can strengthen your relationship instead of succumbing to the winter doldrums. Creating memories and trying new things together can be a wonderful way to bond and winter offers many opportunities to participate in such activities. Don’t allow winter to make your relationship cold, instead, try one of these winter date ideas together and watch your relationship blossom.