If you live in a cold climate, you need to develop alternate dating strategies for the winter season. Those long, lazy days at the beach will no longer be appealing, for a few months at least.
Outdoor activities are still possible, of course, but their duration should be limited. Only penguins, polar bears and other Arctic or Antarctic denizens are at home in zero and sub-zero temperatures for extended periods.
If you are dating someone who enjoys outdoor activities such as skating, skiing or tobogganing, limit the activity to several hours at the most, then plan some relaxing indoor time. These quiet interludes are great opportunities to get to know each other better, to share past experiences and to formulate lifetime goals.
Here are some other ideas to make winter dates at least as enjoyable as those summer fun-in-the sun episodes:
* If you are fortunate enough to have access to an indoor fireplace, throw some sofa pillows on the floor in front, and add a few big, soft, floppy pillows. Settle down with your date to pop popcorn, or roast marshmallows. This is a great setting for sharing pleasant memories and hopes and dreams for the future.
* Most homes have a VCR these days. Find out the type of movie your date enjoys,rent one or two and enjoy a movie evening at home. Film rentals and a few bags of munchies are not expensive and one of you will be able to stay home, out of the cold.
* Host a game night with your date and invite another couple. There are many enjoyable board games for adults such as Trivial Pursuit, Monopoly, Clue, Scrabble or perhaps Cribbage or a card game would be more appealing. A bonus: you'll discover whether your date is a good sport or a poor loser. Order a pizza at the end of the evening and a good time will be had by all.
* If you and your date have reached the serious stage, winter evenings are excellent times to introduce extended family members. Call ahead and tell your relative you would like to bring someone over to meet them. Tell them not to fuss, you will bring refreshments. Pick up a package of cookies at the grocery store and get large take-out coffees or teas for everyone. Older relatives will especially appreciate these visits. They are often shut-in and lacking company for days during spells of severe weather.
* There are indoor activities you both might want to try: bowling, curling, yoga, ballroom dancing, interest courses at the local college, or attendance at a movie or play put on by a local theater group.
* If you are both altruistically inclined, you might wish to volunteer together for a monthly shift at an "Out of the Cold" program or a soup kitchen. There are many charitable organizations who would be extremely grateful for extra help during the severe winter months.
* Undertake a project to see how well you work together as a team. For instance: plan a dinner for friends or one or both sets of parents. Choose a menu, go shopping, share cooking duties, and ideas for after-dinner entertainment. Don't forget to have a camera ready.
If you use a little imagination and creativity, dating in winter can be just as enjoyable as those fun-in-the-sun summer activities and maybe even more so. In January, it's unlikely you will need to vie for attention with the bathing beauties or macho types in Speedos cavorting on the beach. Every season has its own particular advantages, even winter.
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