Winter has finally arrived and the first snow has already fallen in East Lansing. Although it has melted away, we can be sure it’ll come back! It’s the season where you get to cuddle up inside with a warm cup of hot chocolate and watch feel-good Hallmark movies with your favorite people or go outside for a quick snowball fight. Letting go of stress and anxiety in this season of frigid air is one of the most important things to do, in my book. Otherwise, you become bogged down and irritable. Personally, avoiding these negative aspects of a cold season while also getting to do fun activities with your partner sounds like my perfect day. So, from me to you, here’s a list of my favorite couple activities for this winter season:
- Watching Cheesy Holiday Movies
Something about watching a feel-good, romantic, and sappy movie is like my kryptonite. I love snuggling up on the couch with my partner and watching people explore cliché romance experiences that I (and every other hopeless romantic) secretly crave. Every year, Hallmark releases their lineup of cheesy romantic movies that show people falling in love with the holiday spirit and with each other. It is nothing short of adorable, and it really creates a warm and fuzzy feeling that everyone can enjoy. Not to mention, you could get a few cute ideas to do with your partner from the movies themselves!
- Building Pillow Forts
Nothing can beat the nostalgia of pulling the cushions off the couch and using them as walls in a make-shift fort. Turning the couch around and putting the cushions up on the side with a blanket thrown over top, where you and your partner can hide, is my idea of a wonderful date night on a snowy day. You can create the fort in various ways, using what materials you already have at home, so it’s a money saver too! Not only do I find it great for bonding, but it also helps me see a goofier side of myself and my partner.
- Cooking a Morning Brunch
I know I like to lounge around in the winter, and sleeping in is one of my favorite activities. Especially when it feels just cold enough outside of the sheets that you really don’t want to get up. However, sleeping in with my partner and then getting up to make brunch in our fuzzy PJ’s? I don’t think that can be topped! Waking up and heading to the kitchen to make a tasty treat with bagels, eggs, and some OJ sounds absolutely stunning.
- Ice Skating
Staying in every night is something I know I wish for when I’m especially exhausted with day-to-day life and want to isolate myself at home with my partner. However, going out and doing fun winter-exclusive activities, such as ice skating, is a great way to relax as well. I’m the absolute worst at ice skating and so is my partner, but watching each other fall and try to get back up induces the kind of laughter that makes my stomach hurt. Allowing each other to be bad at something together helps us cultivate an environment where we know judgment is never involved in our relationship.
- Driving around to see holiday lights
And lastly, go out and look at Christmas/Holiday lights at people’s decorated houses. When I was a kid, it was one of my favorite things to do with my family; to all get in the car with some gas station hot chocolate and drive around nice neighborhoods to spot fun, decorated houses. Being able to do that with my future family, and partner, invokes a strong sense of admiration for the season and for them. Enjoying core childhood memories while creating new memories with the one I love is a feeling so sweet. I highly encourage this one, since it really brings the holiday wonder to life.