Dating during winter can be tough. It’s cold, dark, and all you want to do is curl up at home with some kind of hot drink and never go outside again. 

Unsurprisingly, this makes it hard to find someone. 

But you don’t need to give up on romance just because the weather outside is frightful. In fact, some people actually try harder to find a date as it starts to get colder. 

The phenomenon known as cuffing season lasts from around September or October to February, so called because people want to couple up, or ‘cuff’ someone for the winter months so they have someone to hide from the weather with. You could be that someone! 

Whether you’re dating someone brand new or you’ve been together for ages, here are some ways to keep you feeling the romance this winter. 

5 Winter Date Ideas:

Enjoy The Snow

A perfect winter date is to just play around in the snow. 

Go sledding, make snow angels, or have a snowball fight. Snow isn’t here all year round, so make the most of it while it’s around. 

Seeing how seriously someone takes themselves during a snowball fight is a good indication of how compatible you might be - if they can’t relax, that might be a dealbreaker. 

If they’re fun, they’ll frolic in the snow with you, which makes for great memories, and afterwards you can warm each other up with a festive coffee or a mulled wine. 

See The Lights

Any town or city will have a light display in the winter. This is a romantic hotspot, and every couple in town will be going to see them at some point. 

This is instagram gold, so cash in while you can. 

If you’re in a city, there will probably also be markets selling seasonal treats and home-made gifts - snag one while they aren’t look and it will make for a fantastic present. 

Cook For Each Other

Cooking for someone special can be an incredibly intimate experience. And for some people, food is a big deal. 

Seeing if their partner can cook might be a big point on their relationship checklist, so prove yourself in the kitchen to win their affection. 

Whip up a healthy meal or breakfast in bed to show them how special they are to you. 

Go Ice Skating

This is a classic winter date idea - show off your acrobatics skills while gliding around the ice. 

Even if neither of you can ice skate, it will still be great fun, with both of you falling over and laughing at each other.

Stay In And Watch TV Because It’s Cold Outside 

This last date idea is good any time, but it’s twice as romantic if there’s snow outside. If you have someone special to stay indoors with, by all means do it and hide from the cold. 

Stay in, build a blanket fort, and spend all day eating snacks and watching comfort tv. 

You can absolutely still have amazing dates in the winter, you just have to be prepared to wrap up warm and make the effort. 

Read more about why you should start dating again this year.

Read more tips for dating someone new.