New Year’s Eve is one of my favorite holidays. There’s no presents to shop for, no big family commitments, just silly fun and a celebration of good times past and present. It’s perfect!
But New Year’s is especially fun if you have someone special to spend it with. Not only do you have someone to kiss at midnight (which can be an awkward moment otherwise) but you also have the opportunity to celebrate the new year in a different way.
While going out to a New Year’s party can be loads of fun, there’s a different kind of joy in ringing in the new year in a smaller way: just you and your sweetie.
Here are some fun New Year’s Eve date ideas that you and your partner will love.
1. Become your own bartender
One thing I love about New Year’s parties is that there are always fun and festive drinks. There are so many creative cocktails around this time of year, from egg nog to “peppermintinis,” to my favorite: “jingle juice.” And that doesn’t stop on new years. You can always find colorful cocktails and a fun new take on the classic glass of champagne.
But my favorite part isn’t necessarily drinking these fun cocktails—I also love mixing them too!
Back when my husband and I were dating, we started making a tradition of spending New Year’s Eve at home and mixing cocktails. I’d find a few fun recipes online and we’d spend the evening mixing drinks and making boozy cupcakes as we watched movies.
It was a great way for two early twenty-somethings to expand our taste buds with exotic drinks and save some money on bar tabs.
2. Make a romantic dinner for two
Lots of people go out to dinner for New Year’s because it’s a fun, mature alternative to going to a house party. But one of my favorite ways to celebrate with my husband is actually making dinner at home.
To be honest, I’ve always worried about going out on New Year’s. On New Year’s, there are so many people out on the road at all hours, possibly drinking and driving, so while I always love going out to dinner, a few years ago my husband and I started a tradition of making a romantic dinner at home on New Year’s Eve.
While we’d been mixing cocktails at home in the years prior, we realized that New Year’s was the perfect night to go all out with a fancy dinner. We switched out our cocktail recipe tradition for cook books, and started making December 31st about an amazing date night in.
Thanksgiving and Christmas are known for big meals with family, but this can be a special time for just you. I love making lasagna, but you two could make whatever your favorite dinner is, or use this as an excuse to try something brand new.
It’s fun to cook together and even more fun to eat dinner by candlelight, just the two of you.
You can even watch the ball drop as you eat some late night dessert!
3. See a movie
Just because you and your honey want to celebrate New Year’s alone, doesn’t mean you have to stay home.
I know a couple who love going out on New Year’s Eve—but they don’t go to parties, they go out to the movies. They got the idea from another family who went to the movies every year on Christmas Eve, and they wanted to do the same for New Year’s.
They pick a movie and see a late showing, and by the time they get out, it’s just about time to countdown to the new year. They have so much fun having a night out, and while everyone else is out at parties, they love having the theater nearly to themselves.
4. Make a time capsule
One thing I love about New Year’s is that it’s a great opportunity to look back on everything my husband and I have done over the last year.
To celebrate the year, we like to make a time capsule on New Years Eve. We collect photos, ticket stubs, notes (and more) and put them in a shoebox to look at next year. Then we look at the box we created the year before.
Time capsules don’t have to be big or fancy, they could just be a collection of a couple momentos and maybe a list of your favorite memories together from the year. But whether you go minimal or all out, it’s a great opportunity to spend time with your sweetie and talk about all the great memories you’ve made together..
New Years is a great time to celebrate the past, future, and time with your honey. This year, try one of these fun ideas, and who knows, maybe you’ll end up making a new tradition for years to come!