New Year's Eve is supposed to be the "craziest" night of the year, but often, I’m left feeling sleepy with aching feet, wondering when I can just go home. But this year, I’m determined to have a better one. Because New Year’s Eve can be amazing — if you plan the right New Year’s Eve date. By "right" date, I mean something you and your partner actually want to do and not feel pressured to do. And I'm totally including staying home and doing nothing as a possible option.
"Staying in with your partner on NYE is better than going out because you get to have quality time with the one you love," Nora Dekeyser, a matchmaker at personalized dating and matchmaking service, Three Day Rule, tells Bustle. Also, it’s easier to get pizza when you’re at home. I know who I am— and I know what I want.
But for the more adventurous than myself, there are plenty of great New Year’s Eve date ideas out there that don't involve traveling or planning weeks aheads. Whether you want to go big and bring in 2018 with a bang or you feel like sticking with something more chill, New Year’s should be about doing exactly what you want to do. I know it can feel overwhelming trying to make plans last-minute — so here are some awesome date options to get you started.
1Go For A Spa Escape
There’s nothing wrong with starting the New Year off fresh-faced and relaxed. "A couples massage at home is a great way to welcome [the New Year]. Not only does a massage boost your mood and ease aches and pains, a couples massage is a great bonding experience,” Eva Carey, National Zeel Massage Therapist Director, tells Bustle.
Find a place you can spend the night and make an event out of it — you'll wake up feeling like a daisy while everyone else is nursing a hangover.
2Try Ice Skating
Ice skating can be a really romantic activity, especially because, unless you’re Nancy Kerrigan, you’re normally clutching on to each other for dear life. “There’s no competition, because few individuals are good at skating unless they grew up on an ice farm,” Susan Winter, relationship expert and bestselling author of Allowing Magnificence, tells Bustle. “Plus, you’ll need to hold hands for balance.”
If there are no ice rinks in your area, a lot of places have winter pop-up ones, so try it out before they thaw.
3Stay In
I had to include it. Staying in is always a great New Year’s Eve option — and it doesn’t have to be boring. Light a fire, put some candles around, set up a projector in the living room — there are so many ways to make a night in more special. “The perfect New Year’s Eve at home with your partner begins with changing the ambience of your space to something softer, warmer and simultaneously more festive,” Marina Shalman, lead design consultant to dating a relationships consulting firm, Rapport Relationships, tells Bustle.
4Try A Sexy Burlesque Show
New Year’s Eve is a time for over-the-top partying, which makes it the perfect opportunity to take in something over-the-top sexy, like a burlesque show. Not only is it a fun way to celebrate, there’s a good chance you and your partner will be desperate for the clock to strike 12, so you can get home and rip each other’s clothes off.
5Host A Board Game Night
Board games are the perfect way to take the pressure off a big event like New Year’s. "Spend the night in PJs and crack each other up by playing games like Cards Against Humanity or Fibbage," Erika Kaplan, a matchmaker at Three Day Rule, says. You can have your friends around and host a low-key party or keep it a fun, nerdy date for the two of you.
6Leave It Up To One Of You
A great way to handle New Year’s is to take turns planning it — and make it a total surprise for the other. "The one thing that’s routinely lost in long-term relationships is ‘surprise'," bestselling author and relationship expert, Susan Winter, tells Bustle. "We know exactly what our partner will say and do in most every case. We can predict our partner’s response and attitude given any routine situation. But who would they be (and who would we be) in the midst of an adventure? What could this new stimulus add to the palate of our relationship?" Starting the New Year off with one of you surprising the other is a great opportunity for bonding.
Figure out what works for you and your partner and stick to that — you should welcome in 2018 your own way.
