2015 Date Nights: Twelve Dates of Christmas

I’m just getting to sharing this with you now, but better late than never right? That’s sort of the theme of this whole post too.

Since T was born two and half years ago, M and I rarely go out on dates. We spend a little time together after the boys go to bed a couple of nights a week, and we often grab dinner when we’re with family who can watch the boys while we go out for an hour or two.

We’ve never had a “real” babysitter, not out of fear or anxiety, mostly just laziness. We live in a high-rise apartment in downtown Chicago that’s not exactly full of eager teenagers looking to babysit. We’re also a little reluctant to pay a sitter more for their time than what our dinner at a restaurant would probably cost. But this year, I decided to change that. Better late than never, right?

For Christmas, I gave M an itinerary of twelve fun dates (some catered to his desires, some to mine, and some to both) that we would do throughout the year. I made a pretty little sheet, and it’s currently hanging on our bedroom wall so we can plan them (and not forget about them). We haven’t completed any yet, but we do have plans on the calendar for one or two of them already. Woot woot!

Our Twelve Dates of Christmas for 2015

  1. Go to dinner and see a play
  2. Attend a Flyers hockey game (likely against the Blackhawks)
  3. Take a cooking class together
  4. Go ice skating in Daley Park followed by hot chocolate
  5. Do a “bar crawl” through our neighborhood (that means appetizers and a drink at 3-4 restaurants in our area). I chose pizza fondue at La Madia, guac and chips at Mercadito, a drink at Untitled, and a drink at Three Dots and a Dash
  6. Dinner followed by Adler After Dark (music and entertainment at Chicago’s planetarium)
  7. Weekday breakfast at Bang Bang Pie Shoppe (a local bakery)
  8. Dinner at Shake Shack followed by a movie
  9. Attend a yoga class together followed by brunch
  10. Jazzin’ at the Shedd (outdoor music happy hour event at Chicago’s aquarium) followed by dinner at RPM Steak
  11. Go for a morning run together along Lake Michigan followed by breakfast at West Egg Cafe
  12. Dinner at Bub City followed by donuts for dessert at Firecakes

Some are sensitive to the seasons and schedules of the venues or locations, so we’ll have to plan those more diligently. But I’m really looking forward to doing all this stuff and setting aside time to hang out together (something we don’t do often enough).

If you don’t live in Chicago, you can recreate many of these with a few small modifications. Replace your local restaurant or trendy bar with something in your local area. Check out your local museums for after-hours adult events. You might just be surprised by what they offer!

If you do live in Chicago or are planning to visit, maybe you can check out some of these places. I also shared a guide to visiting Chicago like a local that you can check out too.

Moral of the Story: If you’re not spending enough time with your significant other, make some plans. Spell out the details. Put it on your calendar. Just make it happen!

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