Cuffing season is well underway, so bench the roster and pick your starting player. It is go-time for cozy movie nights with matching pajamas and tons of fun activities for you and your boo from now until the holidays.
Halloween is nearly upon us. This upcoming weekend may be your last chance to go pumpkin-picking. Have a fun day on the farm, then head home to carve your pumpkins and watch some scary movies.
It’s time for couple’s costumes to fly into your Amazon carts for all your festive parties and events. So if you haven’t already, there’s still time to whip up matching costumes. You can always go for a classic: cops and robbers, a cheerleader and [insert sport] player, Danny and Sandy from Grease or any iconic Disney couple.
Variations of Barbie and Ken, or Barbenheimer for extra “creativity,” will very popular this year. I also have high expectations for plenty of Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce and that one picture of Justin and Hailey Bieber.
You can also get more creative and pick characters from a show you’ve watched together; I will be going as Adriana La Cerva from The Sopranos with my Christopher Moltisanti.
After Halloween comes the two-and-a-half week period of anxiety where you debate inviting your partner over during the Thanksgiving break to meet your family. Even if they’ve met your parents and siblings, it’s a whole new level when they meet your grandparents and that one weird uncle. So in the meantime, to squash down that anxiety, there are still some fun fall activities to enjoy before the weather gets too cold.
If you get out there soon, some of the nearby orchards will still be open for picking. Fishkill Farms will be open for apple picking until Nov. 12 and there will still be plenty of farmstands selling apple cider donuts. Let’s be real, we all have to make sure we get those donuts.
As an alternative, you can go on a hike together. That still allows you to be outside and enjoy the last of the beautiful fall foliage. The Mill Brooke Preserve is a relaxing nature walk, perfect for a simple afternoon outing. If you’re looking for something a little more intense, I recommend the Red Hill Fire Tower, where you can climb to the top and see all the colors of the leaves across the Catskills.
If you’re both super outdoorsy, there’s always camping! I am not that person, but you do you!
There are also plenty of nearby events happening in the Hudson Valley to check out. The Beacon Bonfire Music and Art Festival is on Nov. 4 and 5. This will be the festival’s second year in operation, with over 300 performers of all different genres and 25 venues along Main Street in Downtown Beacon. One of these performances is none other than the New Paltz-based band What?, a funk rock band who you can also catch this month playing their annual “Hallosteen” show at Snug Harbor on Oct. 31.
When it starts to get chillier out, take a drive over to Angry Orchard Cider House in Walden, NY. You can take a tour of the barrel room where they make the ciders or walk through the orchards. Try some unique cider flavors like baked apple pie (if you are 21 and over) and eat some housemade pizza.
Now, Thanksgiving has passed. You either invited your significant other over for the holiday and were mortified by the things your family said to them or you didn’t and you were met with a barrage of questions on if they even existed. Either way, congratulations, you survived it!
Black Friday is here, Mariah Carey has defrosted, it’s finally time for the holidays and the season of gift-giving. If you’re anything like me, gift-giving (and receiving) is one of my love languages.
Gift-giving is like a science; it’s a formula. How long have you been dating? How well do you know each other? And was there an agreed-upon budget? I highly recommend discussing a budget. It may feel like you’re placing a “value” on your love, but it’s a practical way of keeping expectations at the same level and being considerate of the fact that this is an expensive time of year.
Get personal with gifts! Anyone can get them a candle or a random sweater. Take what you know about them and get them something they’ll actually love. Is there something they collect? Are they a big fan of an artist or an author? Do they have a hobby you can get them something for? Is there something you’ve heard them talk about wanting, but they would never spoil themselves with? Have they sent you a million TikToks already hinting at the perfect gift? Go back and check or be on the lookout for them soon.
Besides gifts, there are winter activities to experience together. Go ice skating and laugh at each other when you both fall, just make sure you help each other back up. Go for a walk or a drive to see Christmas lights. Then, go home and bake cookies for a night curled up on the couch with a cheesy Hallmark movie.
Take a trip down to New York City for date night. Spend the evening at one of the many museums the city has to offer. The American Museum of Natural History is one of my personal favorites. The Metropolitan Museum of Art (The MET) also hosts “Date Night”
every Friday and Saturday evening with live music and drinks.
After your night of culture, take the train over to Rockefeller Center to see the giant Christmas tree before heading back home.