Catholic Date Ideas: December's Advent and Christmas Challenge

Healthy Catholic Marriages have frequent dates!

Research shows, married couples who regularly date, are less likely to consider divorce, more likely to have more romance and report better sex lives, communicate better, and enjoy marriage more! So we have decided to challenge you to AT LEAST one date a month! Need some ideas? Keep reading!

December's Date Night Ideas that focus on the season of Advent and preparing for Christmas!

It's so easy to become crazy busy this time of year. I challenge you to carve out time for your spouse. Below are two date night ideas, one for advent and one for Christmas. Do at least one, if not both! Feel free to change it up, these are only ideas to get the ball rolling! Follow the spirit and date your spouse well!

Advent Date Night Idea:

Embrace the Quiet Waiting

Wait until the kids are in bed and bring the advent wreath (or a candle if you don't have one) to the living room. Either together or before the date starts, bake some cookies or yummy desserts for both of you to smell in the oven and wait for.

While the dessert is baking, light the advent candle and discuss the following.

Start with the monthly check in questions (Bottom of this post). These can be done as you are preparing the cookie dough or dessert batter or after the Advent Together discussion.

Advent Together:

Advent is about preparing our hearts to receive the gift of Jesus at Christmas. Take some time to discuss how we can prepare bit by bit, week by week.

• Week 1: Hope. The church defines hope as the growing desire for heaven.

  • Is heaven something you think about often? Why or why not? Does the hope of heaven order your life? What are ways we can both grow in our desire for heaven together?

  • Some Ideas to Increase Hope for Heaven:

    • Talk about it! Wonder aloud what heaven is going to be like.

    • Ask Mary and the Holy Spirit to help you grow in your desire for heaven.

      
      

• Week 2: Peace. The church defines peace not as an absence of chaos, but as deep, abiding confidence and trust in Christ.

  • Do you think we are a peaceful couple? Why or why not? Do you think peace is possible amidst the chaos of family life? What are ways we can grow in confidence and closeness to Christ?

  • Some ideas to increase abiding confidence in Christ:

    • Read or listen to scripture every day.

    • Surrender the stressors of your life each morning and ask God to take care of it.

    • Pray a rosary and ask for the Queen of Peace to pray for you.

      
      

• Week 3: Joy. Joy is not just happiness, it's a gift freely given from above that is contagious and meant to be shared. It's lasting and effective. It is often given by the Holy Spirit when we say, "Yes" to God's will like Mary did at the annunciation,

  • Do we experience joy in our marriage, why or why not?

  • When have we followed God's will, not our own? Did we experience joy, eventually from it?

  • Some ways to increase Joy in our marriage and family:

    • Sing at Mass and mean it!

    • Listen in the silence for God to share his will for you.

    • Ask the Holy Spirit for guidance.

      
      

• Week 4: Love: We are talking about agape love, the selfless love that is all gift and expects nothing in return. This love does not come easily, but is able to be expressed because God loved us first.

  • Together, read 1 John 4:7-21. Then discuss how agape or selfless love is possible because he first loved us.

    • Then discuss ways you have seen the other give agape love either in marriage and/or raising children.

    • Together, pray a prayer of thanksgiving for your marriage and family and ask that everyone can welcome the light of Christ at Christmas.

Christmas Date Night Idea:

The Light of Christ

As a little girl, my parents always piled us into the car and gave us hot cocoa, and we searched for Christmas light displays. Your challenge is to do the same. Load up on a thermos of hot cocoa or a delicious beverage of your choosing and you and your spouse drive around and look at the Christmas light displays.

Consider starting the conversation with Monthly check in questions below.

• Then say, "One of the reasons Christmas lights are so beloved is because the lights break up the darkness. Have we ever experienced darkness in our marriage?

  
  

• Just as these Christmas lights are pleasing and beautiful, the light of Christ has banished or could banish the darkness from our lives. Has Christ ever been a light for you? How?

  
  

• Together Read John 8:12 "Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.” End with this prayer or similar from your heart: Lord Jesus, you tell us that you are the light of the world. As we prepare for Christmas, help us to remember that you have been sent to light up our darkness, to show us the way toward heaven and true joy. We invite you into our home, Lord Jesus. Light up any sadness or darkness we may or may not be aware of. Abide with us now and forever. Amen.

Monthly Check In Questions

Whatever you decide to do, try and discuss the following things as ice breakers at dinner, at home after kids fall asleep, during a walk, in the car after you’ve grabbed hot cocoa, or in front of the fireplace with a bottle of wine or a cup of tea!

• Have you felt loved by me over this last month? Why or why not?

• What can I do to love you better? (See another month's challenge about Love Languages!)

• Do you have any prayer intentions I could pray for over the next month?

• What has been your favorite memory or thing that happened over the last month?

• What was the worst thing?

• What is one thing you are looking forward to in the coming month?

Before the date ends, be sure to schedule your next date night together!

We pray you fall deeper in love with your spouse this month and enjoy this intentional time together!

Want more Support for Catholic Marriage?

Wondering How to pray with your spouse? Check out this eBook, How to Create a Prayer Routine as Husband and Wife to help you and your spouse either refresh your current prayer life or to jump start a customized prayer routine together!

Want to grow in gratitude for your marriage, consider praying this Litany of Gratitude for Marriage.

How to Pray for Your Marriage using the Luminous Mysteries : this free eBook download is great for husband and wife to reflect on the Luminous Mysteries of the Rosary and how they relate to Marriage, guiding you to pray for your marriage as you pray them!

We challenge you to a date each month with our date night challenge! Looking for a date night in? Check out the Catholic Family Movie Night discussion prompts for the movie Groundhog Day!