It’s easy to feel sad and down at the moment. Right now, the country is so separated. Across the board, from the current climate and the pandemic, we are divided. And we’re parted from loved ones by distance and rules. Even with our own partners, our routines are disrupted. Our favorite habits have been upset by our usual spots being closed. If you and your spouse or partner have been enjoying a local haunt for years, the pandemic has stopped the highlight of many people’s week or month: date night.
How do you enjoy date night when you are stuck mostly at home? It can be done! Our first tip is to get dressed up! If you are anything like us, you’ve stopped getting dressed up. Heck, unless we’re going out or getting on a video call, we’ve stopped really getting dressed. It’s easy to fall into a rut of thinking, “Well, no one will see me.” But your significant other is “someone.” Put on some fancy duds. Wear your Friday night shoes!
The nice thing about having a date night at home is that it can be precisely what you want. You might be awfully fond of your local diner, but do you really like Taylor Swift? No? You get to control the soundtrack of your date tonight. While you might not usually listen to music during dinner, you would if you were at a restaurant, so put on some tunes!
Go for a walk after dinner. Take a turn around your block, not for exercise, but as an outing for two and look around your neighborhood. So much of the time, we focus on getting our steps in that we forget to just look around and enjoy each other’s company. When you get home. Don’t just go inside. And when you get home. Get some drinks and sit outside if it’s cool enough. Give the TV an evening off. Tonight is about the two of you. For so much of the pandemic, we have been focused on the news. We have forgotten to focus on each other. Look up at the sky and enjoy some time outside because it’s nice to be outside for once.
We’ve heard some wonderful date night ideas. Find whatever art supplies you have in the house and have a painting party! If you have kids (or grown children), raid their supplies (or search through the closets) and see what masterpieces you can create! You can have a lot of fun and maybe discover a new talent. We’ve been hearing about a lot of couples who have decided to finally tackle their “honey-do” lists together and support each other to get through everything they need to get through together while eating dinner and taking breaks. It might not sound like the most romantic date in the World, but couples have actually said it’s both fun and productive. Finally, you could combine essential and simple elements for what we think is the perfect at-home date: candlelight and breakfast-for-dinner. It is the easiest meal and the most romantic way to share it.
What you need for a perfect date is a great partner. In these hard times, it’s easy to get bogged down and start to feel lost. But, when you take a beat, you can see that what you need most is right next to you: a partner to weather the storm.
