7 Christmas date ideas

In the midst of all the Christmas chaos, it’s important to slow things down and get some quality time with the one you love. Here are our top Christmas date ideas to get into the festive season and spend some time together too.

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Christmas has to be one of the weirdest times of year in our calendar. It’s always so busy, everyone gets totally overwhelmed with planning, the shops are nuts, stress is high – Mrs Romance absolutely loves it!

The downside to all this mayhem is that your relationship can tend to take a bit of a back seat in the process.

This is why it’s even more important to take a bit of time out to spend with your other half. Sometimes, when it’s all getting too much, a day – or even an afternoon away from it all can work as a great reset.

To drop the pressure and to lower ourselves into the Christmas spirit gently, Mrs Romance and I have a list of our top 7 Christmas date ideas to keep it ‘Ho ho ho!’ and not ‘Oh, no no!’

7 Christmas date ideas

1. Get decorating

Work together to put your Christmas tree up. I know this can be the source of irritation, but if you both work out who’s doing what before you start, it can be a lot of fun. Crack a bottle of wine and get decorating!

If you invest in a high quality artificial tree, the amount of effort needed to assemble and decorate the tree is massively reduced. We have a beautiful tree from Balsam Hill that even has the tree lights built in.

You should definitely check out the range these guys have.

It’s well worth investing in a tree like this that looks amazingly realistic and that’s simple and quick to get up. Then you can focus on the more fun part of hanging extra decorations with a glass of wine and your beloved.

If you have kids, working with them to decorate the tree is so much part of Christmas, but let’s be honest, kids aren’t that good at it. I know I certainly wasn’t! Getting another tree the whole family can put together will reduce frustrations and your kids’ FOMO.

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Image from kohl_photographer via Flickr.

2. Look into the light

There’s always a street in your neighbourhood that’s got well and truly into the Christmas spirit and the power grid is working overtime to cope.

Visions spring to mind of the National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation when Chevy Chase plugs in the lights covering his house!

Hold hands, enjoy the lights and get into the romance of Christmas.

By the way, when you do go to see the lights, check to see if the houses have put out a gratuity tin. If they have, drop some money in. It’s what Christmas is about and these lights cost money to power. If you like the display, remember to pay.

3. Christmas flicks

Nothing says Christmas more than a Christmas movie. They don’t have to be films with Santa in them, which can be a bit creepy to be honest, but they’re usually set around Christmas.

Break out some wine and cheese, and settle in for a movie date night at home.

Movies Mrs Romance and I love watching around Christmas are ones like Home Alone, Die Hard, Love Actually, Elf, Gremlins, Bad Santa (though don’t let the kids see!) and weirdly enough the first Star Wars – though I think it was just always on over Christmas when I was a kid.

Do you have a favourite Christmas movie? Tell us at the end of this post.

4. Christmas cocktails

There’s always room for a little drink or two at Christmas! But why not make a special one for your loved one? If they have a favourite spirit, look up a cocktail that uses it. Obviously think whether your partner will like the cocktail too.

There are so many ideas out there, but having a drink you both enjoy that you can make specific to this time of year will add that bit of romance back into Christmas.

We’ve written a lot of cocktail recipes here on Mr & Mrs Romance – we’ve even written an ebook (you can buy it here by the way!) and just recently we even wrote specifically about our favourite Christmas cocktails. Check them out for a bit of inspiration.

Mr & Mrs Romance - summer cocktails and drinks

5. Volunteering

It might sound a bit cheesy but Christmas is the time to give back. What better way to do that than to volunteer.

Doing this together with your other half will give you both a sense of connection and accomplishment. It’s also just a nice thing to do.

If you’re not sure where to start, think about wrapping or delivering Christmas presents for kids in underprivileged situations or shelters. The Smith Family does amazing work like this and Christmas is an especially busy time for them. Check out what you can do with the Smith Family here.

There are plenty of other volunteering opportunities around Christmas wherever you are. In Australia, think AusHarvest, the Salvation Army or even helping out at your local soup kitchen is an awesome way of giving back, and getting the warm and fuzzies going.

6. Bake Christmas cookies or even an early Christmas dinner for 2

Nothing wrong with a bit of extra sweetness at (and before) Christmas. Why not bake your beloved their favourite cookies? As it turns out, Mrs Romance and I both have our own signature biscuits that the other absolutely loves.

I love making Mrs R my gluten-free macadamia salted shortbread biccies – here’s the recipe. Mrs Romance makes a mean set of peanut butter and choc chip cookies that are basically my catnip. Check out her recipe here.

However, if you want to take it a step further, why not make an early Christmas dinner for two? About a week out from Christmas (you don’t want to OD on turkey before the 25th), have Christmas dinner at home with each other. Snuggle down and pretend it’s just the two of you in the whole world.

Mr and Mrs Romance - Gluten free macadamia shortbread cookie recipe

7. Get out mid-week avoid the Christmas crush

The terrors of Christmas shopping are a known factor that brings a tear to many a stouthearted shopper’s eye. But if you time it right, you can actually make it a fun – even romantic – experience.

Why don’t the both of you take a day off [cough-sickie-cough] and head into the city? Don’t worry if you haven’t got any formal shopping lists, just go out, enjoy the lights and the energy, and have plenty of coffee and/wine breaks.

If you’re a guy and the idea of shopping turns your stomach, maybe it’s just a skill set thing. One of our first series of posts was on how to cope when you go shopping as a couple. I think it might help!

Bonus idea: start a Christmas tradition

Of course, Christmas is full of traditions – stuff our families have probably been doing for generations that we thought was just part of Christmas. In actual fact, they’re possibly just things your family does.

So why not start a fun Christmas tradition of your own? It could be something simple like buying the funniest Christmas tree decoration you can find each year (which is what we do) or even taking each other out to dinner somewhere. Or even playing a particular board game – but only at Christmas time.

If it’s something you can do together to make this time of year even more special and brings the two of you closer together, it’s worth it.

What’s your favourite part of Christmas? Do you do anything romantic at this time of year? Tell us in the comments below.

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