Top Five Holiday Activities for Couples

1. Build a Gingerbread House

Split a cheap bottle of wine, and let the building begin. Until this year, I hadn’t built a gingerbread house for many years. I didn’t realize how vividly my boyfriend saw himself as a candy architect. We were able to work together to build our fructose fantasy and laugh when it all fell apart. I purchased my kit from the local grocery store for under $11.

2. Movie Night

It seems the holiday season calls for blankets, cult Christmas movies, and hot chocolate.

We’ve all seen A Christmas Story (which as a child I thought was a horror film), National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, and Black Christmas (now that’s a horror film).

I have a few alternative titles for you to cuddle up and watch with your significant other this year:

A) Santa Claus Conquers the Martians (1964)

Two words (maybe three). Sci-Fi and Santa. If you ever wondered what a Star Trek/Santa crossover episode might look like, this is probably your best bet.

B) Nightmare Before Christmas (1993)

I like how versatile this movie is for Christmas and Halloween. A classic, yes, but sometimes I forget it’s also a Tim Burton Christmas classic.

C) All Christmas Episodes of The Office (2005-2013) (it’s never really over, is it?)

• Season Two, “Christmas Party” ... Episode 10
• Season Three, “Benihana Christmas” ... Episode 10/11
• Season Five, “Moroccan Christmas”... Episode 11
• Season Six, “Secret Santa” ... Episode 13
• Season Seven, “Classy Christmas” ... Episode 11/12
• Season Eight, “Christmas Wishes” ... Episode 10
• Season Nine, “Dwight Christmas” ... Episode 9

You're welcome.

3. Get Your Picture Taken with Santa

You’re familiar with the scene: standing in a long lineup amidst crying children, parents contemplating telling their children the truth about Santa so they don’t have to stand in line. Dress up in your ugliest, tackiest Christmas sweater and shine, you big adult child.

If you don’t have one, question your values first, but visit your local thrift store and find a dazzling knitted creation from the 80s. Run to the dollar store, grab a glue gun, and some decorations — you know what to do next.

Give Santa a visit, strike a pose, and purchase a single shot. Visit a photo kiosk later to make copies for way cheaper — sober (or not) Christmas comedic gold.

4. Wine Tasting

One of the most romantic experiences I’ve had with my boyfriend was visiting our local winery for a tour and tasting. It was a unique, lavish experience that I was so happy to share with him. We laughed, butchered the names of some wines, and plan to make frequent visits. Some wine tours can be expensive, especially depending on your location, but during the holidays social discount websites offer some great deals. We paid $14 for the both of us, and it included a full tour, 6 samples of wine, and some chocolate. You definitely don’t have to be a wine lover or expert to enjoy a winery tour.

5. Go to a Hockey Game

I would love to see an NHL game, but around the holiday season it’s just not in the budget. Grab some hot chocolate and visit your local community center for a hockey game. Choose opposing teams. Cheer on random players. Release that pent-up frustration and be the crazy hockey parent you’ve always wanted to be. For even more competition, loser buys pizza. I don’t think it gets any more romantic than that.