Changing Seasons DATE GUIDE
Welcome to your DATE NIGHT IN BOX
EDITOR’S NOTE
Dear Date Night In Box Enthusiasts, Greetings to you and your significant other. If you are joining us for the first time, welcome! If you have joined us before, welcome back! Tonight’s date focuses on the changing of the seasons, literally and figuratively. My husband and I have been through many transitions, such as engagement, marriage, new career paths, home ownership, the birth of our children, becoming dog owners and a miscarriage. Each time we entered a new chapter in our lives, the trunk or base of our relationship remained strong, while the old leaves fell and new ones appeared. We evolved, changed, improved, struggled and remained strong—all throughout the changing seasons of life. Enjoy your date as you reminisce on the ways your relationship has changed from season to season and think about what the future might hold for you both. Each month, we give a FREE DATE to a couple who snaps a picture of themselves enjoying that month’s date. To qualify, simply post your photo to Instagram or Facebook using the hashtags #DateNightInBox and #DNIChangingSeasons. Congratulations to last month’s winners! If you were given this date as a gift, we would LOVE for you to join us again. We offer a variety of plans to fit your needs, and we also have a Kids Night In Box subscription. Simply visit www.nightinboxes.com and use code 15OFFNIB for 15% off all subscription plans. Warmly,
Megan Pruitt Founder of Date Night In Box
DATE ACTIVITIES
SET THE MOOD COMPLIMENTARY DINNER MENU TABLE TALK A NEW LEAF CARAMEL POPCORN CHANGING SEASONS HEADBANDS CONTINUE YOUR DATE NIGHT
SET THE MOOD
Take a moment to consider the space in which your date will occur. What better way to set the mood for your date than one of the most recognizable scents of fall? Apple cider! Locate your included Mulled Apple Cider packet from Lesley Saligoe Botanicals and follow the instructions on the package to create your drinks. Enjoy the delightful scents of apple and cinnamon as you sip your drink and continue your date! Don’t forget to access your custom Changing Seasons playlist at datenightinbox.com/changing-seasons.
Optional DINNER MENU
GRAB YOUR RECIPE CARD
Each month we include
Hi, friends! I’m Marina from Marina
custom recipes
Makes (marinamakesblog.com). As
provided by Marina
much as I loathe going from hot to
(from marinamakesblog.
cold weather in the Midwest, there’s
com). Our hope is that
something refreshing about the
you will be inspired to
changing seasons. While change can
use this recipe card
be hard, it’s also an opportunity
again in the future.
for us to recharge and embrace the
ENJOY!
season we’re entering. So, while it’s hard for me to give up my grilled sweet corn in the summer, I look forward to Brussels sprouts being in season and the hearty dishes of fall because they make the season so special to me! This menu includes a lot of my favorite fall eats and drinks: a delicious white chili, sweet cornbread muffins, cinnamon and sugar chips with diced apples and a bourbon and cider drink. I’d love to see how your food turns out, so please share pictures of your results on social media; don’t forget to use the hashtag #marinamakeseats. Happy eating!
TABLE TALK It’s time to sit back and enjoy a bit of table talk. We hope this fun, light-hearted discussion will bring something new to your relationship! Fall is the perfect time of year to talk about changing seasons in your relationship. If you look outside, you might see leaves falling as nature prepares for a new season of growth. Mother Nature is offering a reminder that beautiful things come when you let go of what no longer serves you. Imagine your relationship as a tree. What if it ignored seasons of change? The tree would be short and stubby, hold on to withered leaves and depend on shallow roots to keep it grounded. Now imagine the most beautiful tree you’ve ever seen in the spring, flourishing with new growth after a season of change. It is strong, deeply rooted and overflowing with sweet-smelling blossoms. Letting go of unhealthy habits, grudges, fears and anxieties leaf by leaf makes room for healthy new growth in your relationship. Seasons don’t change overnight. Your relationship will be strongest if you nurture it leaf by leaf. Take a few minutes to shake out your branches a bit and identify a few things that no longer serve your growing relationship. Allow time for both of you to chime in.
What habit(s) hinder growth in our relationship? W h a t fe a r h a s b e e n h o l d i n g m e b a c k i n o u r relationship? W h a t i s o n e n e g a t i v e fe e l i n g t o w a r d a p e r s o n o r c i r c u m s t a n c e t h a t I c a n’ t s e e m t o s h a k e ? What good thing(s) could turn into something great if I gave it t he s p a c e to g r ow ?
Take Mother Nature’s cue this fall and allow for a season of change in your relationship. Now that you’ve identified some leaves worth shedding, continue this discussion throughout your date! CHEERS to releasing the past and finding sweeter blossoms together.
A new LEAF
MATERIALS Wood leaf
|
Pen
As you discussed in Table Talk, every relationship goes through seasons of change. Whether you experience a move, a change in employment, the addition or loss of a family member or other circumstances, life’s new seasons can impact your relationship. In the next activity, you will create a memento together to mark the seasons of life you’ve experienced and note what has kept you grounded in your relationship. Locate the wood leaf and pen included in your box. If you haven’t already done so, take a moment to discuss the seasons of change you have experienced in your relationship. Then, on the leaf, write a word or two to summarize them. You may also wish to note the date or season when they occurred. Next, locate the leaf’s base, which helps it remain standing and stable. Although aspects of your relationship or lives might have changed during your time together, what has remained the same? What has kept you grounded and stable? Discuss these questions and, if you choose, select a word or two to write on the base describing what has grounded your relationship. Display your leaf somewhere you will both see it every day and be reminded that your love remains the same through seasons of change.
Contest alert! UPLOAD A PHOTO OF YOUR LEAF DISPLAYED IN YOUR HOME TO FACEBOOK OR INSTAGRAM, MENTIONING @DATENIGHTINBOX AND USING HASHTAGS #DATENIGHTINBOX AND #DNICHANGINGSEASONS FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A $500.00 REI GIFT CARD! Details: One lucky couple will win a $500.00 REI gift card to purchase all the outdoor equipment you need to enjoy the changing seasons! Submissions must be posted on a public Facebook or Instagram profile. Join us on Facebook (@DateNightIn) or Instagram (@datenightinbox) for more contest details.
Caramel POPCORN
MATERIALS Popcorn on the cob
|
Caramel drizzle
Perhaps one of the best parts of fall is the delicious treats that accompany the season. From fruit-filled pies to the notorious pumpkin spice latte, there are countless options. Tonight, you will be creating caramel popcorn! Locate your included popcorn on the cob and follow the directions on the packaging to pop the corn. Then, drizzle caramel over the popcorn and enjoy!
Changing seasons HEADBANDS
MATERIALS Game cards
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Headbands
Get ready for some laughs as you play Changing Seasons Headbands. Remember that all the words relate to the beautiful fall season!
TO PREPARE Shuffle the cards and place them in a stack face down on a table. Each player should wear a headband.
TO PLAY 1.
Select a card from the stack without looking at it and tuck it into your elastic headband facing outward. Players should not be able to see their own cards but should be able to see their opponent’s.
2.
Play a quick game of rock, paper, scissors to decide who begins the game.
3.
The winner begins the game by asking their partner a yes or no question related to what is on their card. Take turns asking one question at a time. a.
Example questions include the following: Am I a person? Am I an activity? Am I food?
4.
When players feels confident they can identify their card, they can use their turn to guess. The first person to correctly identify their card wins.
5.
Once you’ve correctly guessed your card, grab a new card from the stack.
6.
Keep track of how many cards you have guessed. Whoever has guessed the most cards correctly when the stack runs out wins!
t x e N Until REFLECTION TAKE A MOMENT TO REFLECT ON YOUR CHANGING SEASONS DATE NIGHT IN BOX. DISCUSS THESE QUESTIONS TOGETHER:
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Which aspect of the date did you enjoy most? If you tried something new as part of the date, what was it like to experience that with your partner? What did you learn about your relationship? How will you use this date to build on your relationship moving forward?
Time! Ways to continue YOUR NIGHT -----
Enjoy a picnic outside. Go apple picking and create a dish together afterwards. Visit a pumpkin patch or carve a pumpkin. Watch a spooky or Halloween-themed movie. Suggestions: US (2019), The Shining (1980), Hocus Pocus (1993), Scream (1996), Psycho (1960), Sleepy Hollow (1999)
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