Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Christmas. Show all posts

At-Home Christmas Date Night!


She Said:

Well, no doubt you've noticed that it's that time of year again -- Christmas!!! This is bar-none, hands-down, no doubt my absolute favourite time of year. There are no words to describe the excitement I have for the Christmas season. It starts around June October-ish, and builds and builds into the climactic moment of Christmas morning bliss.

Actually, I think i prefer the build up to Christmas more than the actual day: decorating the house, trimming the tree, shopping in over-heated and over-crowded shops, the smell of mulled wine on the hob, baking bad-for-you foods, and of course - terrible Christmas Movies on television.

It wouldn't be Christmas at the Robertson household without a Christmas-themed Date Night -- we've actually had about three, but who's counting???

Itineraries for an at-home Christmas themed Date Nights can be as random as you want! That's the best part.

Whether it's decorating Christmas cookies together, wrapping presents together in front of the fire, putting lights up on the house, decorating the tree, or simply watching Christmas movies - celebrating in your own way is what makes this Date Night great.

It's a great time of year to simply celebrate each other, and to embrace coziness - so take advantage!

For Brett and me, it's easy. Food, spiced wine, and nostalgic movies. Done.

Brett's been glued to the food channel recently (lucky me and the extra 10 lbs I've gained this month!) and was inspired to make a Christmas ham, so our first to-do this Date Night was a trip to the market to pick up the meat, as well as fixin's for mamma's mulled wine! For the recipe we follow every year - a FOOL PROOF mix for the world's best Mulled wine - is courtesy of Jamie Oliver and can be found here.

The ham recipe we went for was courtesy our new favourite, Nigella. This recipe can be found here.
We got home and Brett started in on the ham. (We very quickly realised our apartment didn't have a pan to fit the ham, so off toASDA we went to snag a bigger one - just a quick 30minute Date Night Detour!). Back in the kitchen, ham boiling away like a happy little piggy, I started in on the Mulled Wine and some homemade mushroom and spinach tarts.

The smells coming from the kitchen were extraordinary.

While we waited for our feast to finish, we curled up on the couch in front of the fire with an array of classic Christmas movies at our disposal - which included Home Alone, Elf, and of course, A Christmas Story.

The ham was finally done and cooked to perfection, so we dug in.

Happy Birthday Jesus, this ham was amazing.

For more great Christmas-inspired recipes, check out this link! Food Network UK is doing their countdown to Christmas, and we're obsessed. Join us, won't you?

Happy Christmas, all!







Looking for some local fun to be had this Christmas?
Here is some inspiration!

Have other GREAT Christmas Date Night ideas? Let us know! We'd love to add your event to the list.

Holiday Date Idea!

A Christmas Carol - With a TWIST!

With only EIGHT days 'till Christmas, it's time to get in the holiday spirit! (If you're not already)...

Which is why, for next week's Date Night, Brett and i are going to see THIS:



What is it? Well, it's only "Seattle's Funniest Christmas Show" EVER!

First performed in 1985, A(n Improvised) Christmas Carol brings Charles Dickens's Christmas classic to the stage with a twist!

What if Scrooge owned a pet store? What if the Ghost of Christmas Past was a Film Noir detective? What if Tiny Tim wasn't so tiny?

The audience gives suggestions up front, and UP's improvisers use these suggestions to tell an all new tale of how Christmas can (or can't!) change Ebenezer Scrooge's life!

This is a great show for families, shoppers, tourists, and audience members of all ages!

We're going on Tuesday, and can hardly wait... Will you join us??

xo

M&B

Holiday Date Ideas!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS SEATTLE!

A yearly tradition of ours here at Brett and Mandy Date Night is to provide you with a fun list of great things to do and see in the city this holiday season! And, while this year we've been TERRIBLE at posting, we are making sure this is one tradition that holds true.

So, without further ado, i give you our
Holiday Date Night Ideas!

We start off with some of the city's most well-received holiday theater offerings.

A Christmas Carol
ACT Theater
November 26 - December 26

A Christmas Story
5th Avenue Theater
November 26 - December 30

The Nutcracker Ballet
McCaw Hall
November 26 - December 27

Intiman's Black Nativity
The Moore Theater
December 9 - 26

An Improvised A Christmas Carol
Unexpected Productions
November 26 - December 23

An English Christmas
Benaroya Hall
December 15

Christmas Stockings: A burlesque fund-raiser
Rendezvous - Jewel Box Theater
December 18, 7pm

The Maldives and The Moondoggies - 5th Annual Holiday Show
Showbox at the Market
December 18, 8pm

Homo for the Holidays
Oddfellows Hall (on Capitol Hill)
December 24, 8pm

For a pretty comprehensive list of other shows to see this season, click HERE!

And, if you're wanting something a little less theater, but still embodies all the fun of downtown during the holiday season, be sure to hit up Winterfest at Seattle Center (for ice skating, carousel rides, and more!), or the Carousel and Santa at Westlake Center.

And the Downtown Seattle Association has put together a FABULOUS website that is a great resource if you're looking for something fun this holiday season: Click here!

Still at a loss for something fun to do for a Holiday Date Night? Email Me! I'd love to help inspire you!

Seattle Weekend Date Ideas: Splurge Vs. Steal

SPLURGE VS. STEAL!

It's the week of Thanksgiving! Which means so many things to me: food, family, fun, friends, time off work, and FOOD! It also means, it's OFFICIALLY the holiday season, which means, if you know me, it is the happiest time of my life. I love love LOVE Christmas. Really, i love all of December. There is something MAGICAL that happens to people this time of year. Togetherness. A time for happy. And sharing. And giving. and LOVE.

What better time to take your sweetie out and show him or her that you care? And with Seattle's holiday festivities kicking off the Friday after Thanksgiving, there are plenty of things happening in the city that you can take advantage of. With that, I give you (an early installment) of this week's Splurge vs. Steal!

SPLURGE!

What better way to kick off the holiday season than with the most famous and beloved Christmas tale, Charles Dickens' A Christmas Carol. It's playing at the ACT Theater (700 Union Street) through December 27th, and is a must-see!

Brett took me last year and we had an amazing time. The ACT Theater is a unique one, with Colosseum-type seating and the stage set in the center, so every seat in the house is the best seat in the house!

According to their website, this is the ACT Theater's 34th annual production of Dickens' classic tale of grouchy 19th century tightwad Ebenezer Scrooge, who is reminded of the true meaning of Christmas – and life – with the help of three spectral guides. Since the play's debut at ACT in 1976, more than 600,000 people have joined Scrooge on his journey. Join in for this delightful downtown holiday tradition!

Tickets are $32/each and can be purchased online. Leave an hour or so early and grab a bite to eat at Ethan Stowell's UNION Restaurant. You won't be disappointed!

Complete the evening with a stay at Hotel Max, Seattle’s the Most Artistic Downtown Hotel (620 Stewart Street)! The Hotel Max offers an artistic setting for both business and pleasure, and provides the platform for both emerging and established Seattle artists and photographers. Follow them on Twitter for discounts, deals, and a special Twitter rate!

STEAL!

This year's Tree Lighting Celebration & Holiday Parade is happening this Friday, November 27, at Westlake Center in Downtown Seattle.

This holiday tradition is held in downtown Seattle every year, and gets crazier and crazier every year! It features a full-day of Holiday Fun, including the Downtown Holiday Parade beginning at 8:45 AM, then the official lighting of Westlake Center's Holiday Tree and Macy's Star at 5 PM... all in conjunction with a really spectacular fireworks display.

Start the night off with some appetizers at Icon Grill! On the Friday of the Tree Lighting Ceremony, Icon Grill hosts its Christmas kick-off (2-5pm) and transforms itself into a unique yuletide experience filled with Christmas spirit. The restaurant is adorned with lushly decorated trees festooned with ornaments, garlands, wreaths and lights, and wrapped presents heaved beneath them. The holiday menu will also be available!

The Grinch’s Roast Beef ($20.95)
Marinated roast beef served with “Who” holiday potato smash and jus
Holiday Wreath Salad ($14.95)
Smoked chicken, toasted hazelnuts, dried cranberries, blue cheese & apples in pomegranate vinaigrette
Partridge in a Pear Tree ($19.95)
Game hen with ginger-cranberry glaze, winter root puree & roasted pears
Candy Cane Cake ($8.95)
Layers of red velvet & white chocolate cakes with Rumplemintz & white chocolate icing
“Build Your Own” Holiday Cookie Plate ($7.95)
Sugar cookies & gingerbread men with tasty toppings

After the tree lighting, fight your way through the crowd over to Pacific Place for a bit of shopping (don't forget Barnes and Noble!), then continue the night with a Neapolitan at Von's, and finish with an evening ride on the downtown Carousel!

Cheers, Happy Holidays, and Happy Dating!

xo,
B&M