Christmas date ideas: 35 festive dates for couples

• Budgetlow to medium
• Best forfirst date, any stage
• Time2 hours

Christmas markets are big in the UK and Germany and more and more common in North America, often in a central square. Share one snack and one warm drink at each stall you like and give scores. Mulled wine, hot cider, pretzels, roasted nuts: you'll have opinions fast. Berlin alone has dozens, so they made our list of Berlin date ideas.

Tip: Set a small budget each to buy the other person one ornament. Hang them both on your trees and you'll have a story every year.

• Budgetlow to medium
• Best forany stage
• Time1 to 2 hours

Many botanical gardens, zoos and parks run illuminated walking trails in December. Walk slowly, pick a favorite installation and grab a warm drink at the end. Book a timed slot if they offer them. ZooLights at Lincoln Park Zoo, one of our Chicago date ideas, is a well-known example.

• Budgetmedium
• Best forcouples who live together
• Timehalf day

Drive to a tree farm, argue lovingly about height, take turns with the saw and carry it back together. Many farms have hot cider, a fire pit or a hayride too. Bring gloves and measure your ceiling first.

• Budgetmedium to splurge
• Best forromantic, dressing up
• Timeevening

Tchaikovsky's ballet is a December tradition in many cities, from big companies to local dance schools. Dress up a bit, get a drink in the interval and see who knows which melody before it starts.

• Budgetlow to medium
• Best forplayful couples, UK and Ireland
• Timeevening

In the UK, panto season is pure joyful chaos: a dame, terrible jokes and the audience shouting "he's behind you!". Pick an evening show for grown-ups, buy an ice cream at the interval and shout as loudly as the kids.

• Budgetfree to low
• Best forromantic, all ages
• Time1 to 2 hours

Churches, cathedrals and choirs hold carol concerts all December, often free or by donation. Even if you're not religious, candlelight and a full choir in an old building are moving. Arrive early for a good seat.

• Budgetfree
• Best forfirst date, city dwellers
• Time1 hour

Department stores and shopping streets go all out with their windows in December. Walk the route after dark with a warm drink and vote on the best one. A city lights evening for zero money.

• Budgetfree
• Best forcoastal and lake towns
• Time1 to 2 hours

Some harbors and marinas run a parade of boats covered in Christmas lights. Bring a blanket and a thermos, find a spot on the waterfront and wave at every boat. Check your town's events page for dates. Seattle's Christmas Ships are a well-known example from our Seattle date ideas.

• Budgetmedium
• Best forromantic, second date on
• Time2 hours

Many hotels and tea rooms do a Christmas edition with mince pies, stollen and spiced scones. It's elegant without the late night, perfect for a December Sunday.

• Budgetlow to medium
• Best forplayful couples, with friends
• Timeevening

Matching (or competing) Christmas jumpers, three bars and a photo in each. Many cities organize official crawls, but your own version with friends is just as fun. Agree on a prize for the worst sweater.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcouples with a sense of humor
• Time1 hour

Yes, as adults. Dress up, keep a straight face and tell Santa exactly what you want. Ask first if the grotto welcomes grown-ups and go when the line of kids is short. The photo goes on the fridge forever.

• Budgetfree
• Best forcouples, any stage
• Time2 to 4 hours

Food banks, toy drives and community dinners need extra hands in December. Book a shift together, work side by side and grab a meal afterward. You see a lot about a person when they help others.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcouples
• Timeall month

Write 24 little plans on slips of paper and hide one behind each door or in numbered envelopes: a walk to see lights, a cocoa on the couch, a slow dance, a new Christmas song, a note. Most take ten minutes. Together they make the whole month feel like a date.

• Budgetlow
• Best forany couple
• Time2 hours

Buy two kits (or bake the walls yourselves), set a timer for one hour and build. Categories: best roof, most creative, most likely to collapse. A friend judges by video call.

• Budgetfree
• Best forcouples who live together
• Timeevening

For every ornament you hang, tell the story behind it. New couples can make it a tradition: each year you add one ornament that stands for something you did together. An ornament can even carry big news, like in these ways to announce a pregnancy at Christmas.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcouples, any stage
• Timeafternoon

Bake two kinds of cookies, box them up and drop them at neighbors, friends or the night-shift crew you know. You get the fun of baking and the fun of giving. Keep a third batch for yourselves.

• Budgetfree
• Best forany couple
• Timea few evenings

Pick eight Christmas films, draw a tournament bracket and watch two per night over a long weekend. Winners move on, the final gets its own snacks. Arguments about whether a certain action movie counts are mandatory.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcouples
• Time2 hours

Wrapping is a chore alone and a date together. Put on a Christmas playlist, make mulled wine or hot chocolate and wrap everyone's presents. Leave the room when it's the other person's gift, no peeking.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcouples, cozy nights
• Time1 hour

Wine or apple cider, orange, cinnamon, cloves, star anise and a little sugar. Each of you makes a version, then you swap mugs and taste. Write the winning recipe in a card and use it every year.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcrafty couples
• Time1 to 2 hours

Salt dough, felt, dried orange slices or clear baubles you fill with tiny things. Make one that's about the other person, then exchange and hang them. Ugly ones are the best ones.

• Budgetlow
• Best fornew and long-term couples
• Time1 afternoon

Set a small budget and a theme, like "secondhand only" or "something for a cozy night". Shop separately, then meet for dinner and swap. For groups, see how Secret Santa works and draw names by link.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcouples
• Time1 to 2 hours

A stack of cards, good pens, cocoa. Write to grandparents, old friends and people you've lost touch with. At the end, each of you writes one card to the other and seals it for Christmas morning.

• Budgetmedium
• Best forfoodie couples
• Timeevening

Italian-American families often celebrate Christmas Eve with the Feast of the Seven Fishes. Borrow the idea or start your own tradition: one dish from each of your families, or a menu you've never cooked before.

• Budgetfree
• Best forplayful couples
• Time1 hour

Pull up lyric videos and take turns with the big Christmas hits. Points for drama, costumes and hitting the high notes. Add friends and a few Christmas party games if you want a bigger night.

• Budgetfree
• Best forcouples
• Time1 to 2 hours

Head to the beach or a rock pool early before family lunch. Santa hats in the water are optional but encouraged. A swim and a coffee on the sand is the calm start the day usually doesn't have.

• Budgetmedium
• Best forcouples, any stage
• Timeafternoon

Cold seafood, salads, cherries, mangoes and a pavlova you made together. Find a shady spot in a park or by the water. It's the summer Christmas lunch, just for two. More picnic plans are in our guide to picnic dates.

• Budgetfree to medium
• Best forromantic, all ages
• Timeevening

Melbourne's Carols by Candlelight at the Sidney Myer Music Bowl on Christmas Eve is the famous one, but most towns have community carols in a park in December. Bring a picnic rug, a candle and dinner, and sing along as it gets dark.

• Budgetlow to medium
• Best forfirst date, any stage
• Timeevening

Summer means outdoor and rooftop cinemas, and in December they often play Christmas classics. Snow on the screen, warm night on your skin. Bring a jumper for when the breeze comes in.

• Budgetfree
• Best forcouples
• Time1 to 2 hours

Long summer days mean the lights only shine late. After dinner, walk the streets in your area that are known for big displays. Many local councils and community groups share lists of the best houses each year.

• Budgetmedium
• Best forsport-loving couples
• Timeday

The Boxing Day cricket Test at the MCG in Melbourne is a summer institution. Even if one of you doesn't follow cricket, a day in the sun with snacks and a huge crowd is fun. Prefer water? Watch the start of the Sydney to Hobart yacht race from a headland around Sydney Harbour.

• Budgetlow
• Best forcouples with a friend group
• Timeevening

In Australia the gift swap is often called Kris Kringle. Host one as a couple: a barbecue in the backyard, a small budget and names drawn in advance. Our free Secret Santa generator sends everyone their match by link.

• Budgetfree
• Best forcouples
• Time2 hours

In the UK and Canada, a long walk on December 26 is how many people recover from Christmas dinner. Pick a route with a pub or café at the end. Fresh air and a bit of quiet after the family chaos.

• Budgetfree
• Best forany couple
• Time1 hour

Build the most ambitious leftover sandwiches you can and take them somewhere with a view. Rate each other's creation. Cranberry sauce is a must.

• Budgetfree
• Best forcouples
• Time1 to 2 hours

Scroll through the year's photos together and pick your top ten moments. Then plan one date for each month of next year. Our month-by-month date plan has ideas for each one.

• Budgetlow to medium
• Best forcouples who skip the big party
• Timeevening

Cook something special, watch fireworks on a livestream or from a balcony and write down one wish each for next year. Seal them in an envelope and open them next December.