Winter date ideas

With the solstice having passed and the first snows having fallen, winter is officially upon us! Inventing creative date ideas can be more difficult in the winter, as the weather generally dictates that staying inside is your best bet, which lends itself well to safe but boring dates like dinner or drinks. Hopefully my suggestions below will serve you well, or at least jumpstart your own creative juices to come up with something with your own personal twist. Some of my summer date ideas may still work for you, depending on your climate, weather tolerance, and other individual circumstances, so feel free to refer to those when brainstorming as well.

These are organized into in-home activities and out-of-home activities. In-home activities are typically not suitable for first dates, as inviting someone into your home and going into someone else's home involves a certain level of comfort and intimacy that almost always isn't present on a first date--or even a second or third. Particularly if your date is a woman, be wary of prematurely inviting her to your home, as the level of intimacy may make her feel uncomfortable and/or pressured to move forward sexually.

In-Home Activities
Cooking. This is a fun and effective way to get to know each other and deepen your level of intimacy. You'll be physically close, and working together toward the common goal of successfully whipping up a delicious meal will bring you emotionally close as well. You also may get a bit of insight into how clean and/or organized your date likes to be in the kitchen. And for all you Next Top Chefs out there, cooking side by side with your date provides you with a great way to show off.
Arts and crafts. I know that this sounds silly, and it is, so it isn't a date idea for everyone. For those of you who love to tap into your inner child, if you have a date with a kindred spirit, this could be a great way to decompress from the work week, mix up your routine, and let some of the giggles out. So be creative! Try your hand at origami. Design cards for each other. See who can draw the best (or worst) self-portrait in crayon. Make candy necklaces. Whatever strikes your artistic fancy! It probably would be a good idea to wait to get to know your date a bit before suggesting this, but if you're a child at heart who has been dating someone whom you know to be a child at heart as well, there will be no harm in throwing it out there.
Warm beverages and snuggling. Winter provides an inescapable reason to cuddle, and who doesn't love some homemade hot chocolate or cider to go along with that? Again, this is a date idea only for later dates--once you're decidedly in the snuggling phase.
Board games. This is another idea that isn't for everyone, but if you and your date both do like board games, it's a great way to let loose, do something a little different, and use parts of your brain that have been sitting idly--maybe even breathe some life into a competitive spirit that is typically suppressed during the normal work day. You can also use the competitive aspect to your advantage by putting stakes on the game: for example, loser buys dinner on the next date, gives the winner a massage, or provides some other form of compensation that creates a win-win situation :)

Out-of-Home Activities
Aquarium. This is the winter version of the zoo. Learn something while releasing your inner child and cooing at the captivating creatures.
Ice skating. This is another great way to release your inner child (since you most likely will be surrounded by children) while getting some exercise--all with a potentially romantic twist! (Sadly, in many places, it may be too late to try out this idea, as many rinks close after the holidays.)
Sporting event. The NFL, NBA, and NHL seasons continue through the winter, so if you're lucky enough to live in or near a city that is home to at least one of these teams, and if you and your date are both sports fans, this is a great option, although the cost may be prohibitive to some, so be mindful of this when planning who will foot the bill.
Walk. In the absence of precipitation (or if you two are tough cookies), this idea still works in the winter and is perfect for a first date, honeymoon, or anything beyond or in between.
Volunteering. If you know that you share a passion for service, invite your date to join you at a mutually appealing volunteer opportunity. Assuming that there are other people volunteering with you, you probably won't get a ton of private time--so plan to get some food or otherwise spend some alone time beforehand or afterward--but whatever activity you choose will provide a shared experience, and you'll get a chance to see if and how well your date interacts with strangers, i.e. your fellow volunteers.
Mutually interesting class or lecture. This could be a one-time class/lecture or a series (I would recommend signing up for a series only with someone whom you've been dating for a while and whom you can reasonably expect to continue dating throughout the duration of the series), and the topic could be anything from cooking to economics to traveling to a foreign language to philosophy to politics to anything else that represents a shared interest. This activity doesn't lend itself well to conversation throughout, but it will provide content for discussion afterward, so be sure to plan to extend your date immediately after the class/lecture ends.
Show (or movie...). Most major cities have multitudes of theaters that host a wide range of shows: musicals, plays, comedy tours, concerts, improv--you name it, and in most cases, you can find it. You also, of course, can stick to the more standard version of this option, which is the movie, but I recommend other options, unless your date is a cinephile. Note that a movie is absolutely, 100% NOT recommended as a first date activity. A show can be acceptable, depending on the nature and length--as long as it isn't too controversial (most people don't want to get into a deeply rooted argument on a first date), would have wide appeal (if this is a first date, you probably don't know that much about the other person's tastes), and isn't too long (allowing you time to talk at some point, say, over dinner beforehand and/or drinks afterward), it usually will be okay, but it still may be better saved for a later date.
Museum. This, too, may be better saved for a later date, once you know that your date would be interested in this type of activity, or which particular type(s) of museum (s)he would be most interested in. If there's mutual interest, it will provide a great way for the two of you to get some insight into your date's (and perhaps even your own) perspective on the displayed material and any related topics of discussion that arise in your reviews of the experience.

As always, feel free to post comments, questions, or your own suggestions or experiences! Happy dating!