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11 At-Home Valentine’s Day Ideas for a Pandemic Date Night

11 At-Home Valentine’s Day Ideas for a Pandemic Date Night

These at-home date night ideas will make it feel like you’re going out for some much-needed alone time without leaving home.


Remember date night? A movie in a theater, dinner inside a restaurant, a bottle of wine, a slow walk back to the train? It’s been almost a year since many of us have had a date night out. But having date night with your partner during quarantine isn’t only possible—it’s crucial. Taking time out of your usual routines to connect with one another gives you the resilience you need to face obstacles together. 

At-Home Valentine’s Day Ideas for Date Night

Rather than thinking of date night as a destination, try to re-frame it as an interaction. Which activity you choose is less important than making space outside of the usual, hectic routines to pay attention to each other, free from the distractions of a child’s demands and a pinging phone.

Here are at-home Valentine’s Day ideas you can pursue together.

Share a meal together.

If the idea of cooking sounds less than romantic, why not support one of your local restaurants and order in? Or try working together on that new recipe you’ve been wanting to try. When you’re ready to sit down and eat, whether you’re taking over the dining room while the kids are asleep, or camping out in the bedroom while they Zoom in the kitchen, try to make this meal feel different from all the others with any little touches you can think of: candles, cloth napkins, or fresh flowers might do the trick. 

Order Fancy (Discounted) Takeout

The Ribbon

Nothing says romance like American cuisine with French influences paired with an episode of Jeopardy. Order your favorites with $5 off all deliveries on The Ribbon website, GrubHub, Postmates, and Uber Eats as well as $10 off orders of $65 or more. If you're planning to celebrate something special, craft cocktails are $10 and beer and wine are 50% off.

Morton's The Steakhouse

Who says you can't enjoy a fancy steak dinner from the couch? The Dine Your Heart Out Valentine's Day deal is offered Feb. 11-14 and gives you a 3-course steak and lobster menu + a bottle of wine to share for $169. 

Strip House 

If you live in downtown NYC, order the Valentine's Day to-go meal from Strip House for $169, including three courses and sides for $169. 

Del Frisco's Grille and Del Frisco's Double Eagle Steakhouse

Del Frisco's offers a variety of delicious, high-end meals and cocktails for two for Valentine's Day dinner at home. 

Fornino 

Feb. 12-14, order a feast from Fornino. $95 gets you an imported cheese & fruit plate, a large salad, heart-shaped pizza (2), tiramisu and strawberries, and a bottle of wine!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

A post shared by Fornino Pizza (@forninopizza)

Watch a movie.

Since you can’t go to a theater, do your best to bring the theater to you. Prepare special snacks. Open a bottle of wine or mix up a cocktail. Set your phone to “Do Not Disturb”. Choose a film neither of you has seen before so you’re both motivated to pay attention, and make time to talk afterward. Let the movie be a conversation starter that pulls you away from the usual topics of chores and child care. 

Have a spa night at home.

Purchase some scented oil, or a massage bar. Turn your focus to your partner by paying close attention to each shoulder blade, each vertebrae, each toe. Give your feel some TLC in a tub of warm water. Top it all off with a store-bought face mask, or just some mashed avocado or cooked oatmeal, and a couple of cool cucumber slices to cover your eyes.



Stream NYC Talent

The Metropolitan Opera

If you and your spouse are Opera fans, you're in luck. Despite the cancelation of performances, The Met will be streaming free, on-demand performances available for 20 hours from 7:30pm until 3:30pm the following day.

Broadway

Calling all musical lovers: BroadwayHD, the theater-streaming service, is offering a seven-day free trial for you to enjoy classics like The King and I, The Sound of Music, Cats, ballets, and more. 

Work out together.

Whether your kid-free time is morning or night, there is an endless variety of exercise classes you can participate in from your laptop. Share a smoothie afterwards, or give a brief massage to those sore muscles. If your kids are old enough to hold down the fort for a bit, or you have a childcare option, head outdoors for a hike or bike ride. Sometimes the conversation flows more freely and easily once you get your bodies moving. 

Stream Your Favorite Artist in "Concert" 

You can stream full-length concerts on Youtube and streaming services:

Concerts on Netflix

  • Taylor Swift Reputation Stadium Tour 
  • Springsteen on Broadway
  • Beyonce Homecoming
  • Justin Timberlake + the Tennessee Kids
  • Richard Pryor Live in Concert
  • Rolling Stones Olé Olé Olé

Concerts on Youtube

Youtube is a great place to look for concert streams, in fact, Bruce Springsteen just shared Bruce Springsteen Live in Hyde Park, 2009 so his fans can enjoy the full length concert from home. NPR Music's Tiny Desk Concert series shares a new performance every few days, with performances across all genres like Jimmy Eat World, Megan Thee Stallion, Carly Rae Jepsen, Leslie Odom Jr.Jonas Brothers, Sheryl Crow, and so much more.

Concerts on Amazon Prime

There are hundreds of concerts available to stream on Amazon Prime, some free some available to rent or buy. Simply search 'concert' on Amazon Prime video and pick your favorite classic, with everything from The Doors in 1968 and Queen in 1986 to the Lady Gaga Monster Ball Tour

Play games—even videogames!

Seriously. Whether the kids are at the playground with a neighbor or just in the other room, that game console is all yours. Miss playing a sport? Try it out as an e-sport. Of course, there are always traditional board games, like Scrabble and Scattergories, or conversation-provoking games like Cards Against Humanity. And nothing brings the same feeling of accomplishment as completing a 1,000 piece puzzle, together. 

Watch a Comedy Special

Lucky for us, tons of comedians are releasing comedy specials on Netflix. No matter your style, you are sure to find a comedian that can lift your spirits during this time. Some comedians with Netflix specials include:

  • John Mulaney
  • Trevor Noah
  • Dave Chappelle
  • Tom Segura
  • Joe Rogan
  • Bill Burr
  • Ronny Cheng
  • Ricky Gervais
  • Ken Jeong
  • Ali Wong
  • Chris Rock
  • Pete Davidson
  • Nikki Glaser
  • Seth Meyers

Host a wine tasting.

Do you have unopened bottles of wine sitting around collecting dust since you stopped hosting dinners? Pop the corks off a few of them and set up your own wine tasting. Aerate the wine by swishing it in giant glasses. Make a game of guessing which bottle is oldest or most expensive. Set up a fancy snack tray or move on to a meal afterwards.

Hire Last-Minute Child Care

If you really want that special time just you two, consider hiring a babysitter or mother's helper to help with your child's bedtime routine while you get some much needed "us time." If your regular date-night sitter isn't available, Mommybites.com launched an emergency babysitter board to help families who need last-minute child care during the coronavirus outbreak.

Whatever you choose to do to celebrate Valentine’s Day at home, talk beforehand about parameters, like not answering your phones, to make sure you’re both on the same page. It’s your date, and your home, so you make the rules!

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