The holiday season is finally upon us, bringing with it many festive date ideas. Although it may not appear this way, there are many inexpensive and fun dates to go on in Winston-Salem that are perfect for this time of year.

First off is the annual Festival of Lights in Tanglewood Park. Couples can drive through the park and admire the lights while listening to Christmas music and sipping hot chocolate.

“I think the Festival of Lights is a good date idea, especially for the holiday season,” said junior Riley White. “I hope I can go this year.”

If the lights are a “been there, done that” experience for you, then just taking a drive elsewhere while listening to Christmas music would be a good substitute.

While it’s fun to go out, sometimes it’s better to just have a chill day at home. During the holidays, couples can build gingerbread houses, bake Christmas cookies and even have a Christmas movie marathon all from the comfort of their own home.

For couples wanting to take a break from all the Christmas chaos, there will also be plenty of sporting events on TV such as basketball, football and ice hockey.

“I think that watching a Carolina Thunderbirds game together would be fun for a date,” said sophomore Claire Blackman.

If you and your date have a common appreciation for warm drinks, you could go to Starbucks and try several of their drinks that are limited addition for the holiday season. On this date, you can both just talk while enjoying delicious drinks and each other’s company.

Don’t forget about the typical winter activities that are more fun to do in pairs. Couples can go ice skating at the LJVM Coliseum. If weather permits, you could also go sledding, build a snowman and have a snowball fight.

For a different kind of date, couples could go see the annual Nutcracker Ballet at the Stevens Center in downtown Winston-Salem. The performance is festive for the holidays and isn’t just a typical date idea but something out of the box.

“I think that going to see the Nutcracker would be a fun date for the holidays,” said freshman Conner Allen.

Finally, the most holiday-inspired date idea is going to a Christmas tree farm. Couples can then decorate the tree together while jamming out to some Christmas music and sipping on hot chocolate.

The holiday season is the perfect time to venture out and try new and fun date ideas. In Winston-Salem alone, couples will find themselves surrounded by festive dates just in time for Christmas.

“I think that ultimately it’s good to keep dates simple for the holidays,” White said. “There are a lot of fun places to go, or you could just do something like watch Christmas movies at home.”