This Post:Why You Should Plan a Girls’ Night Out with Your Daughter this Holiday
Written By: The Raising Teens Today Community
My daughter who’s in high school is always on the go. If she’s not in school, she’s at gymnastics practice, competitions, at her part-time job, or hanging out with friends. I feel emotionally close to my daughter, but the quality, one-on-one time we spend together seems to dwindle more and more with each passing year.
Sometimes, I miss her so much my heart aches. I was convinced she didn’t notice how much I missed her (or that she even cared) and I questioned whether she missed me… until last night.
While I was helping her put clean clothes away in her bedroom, she sat down on her bed, sighed, and said, “Mom, do you think we can have a night out, just the two of us, to be together like we used to? I miss you.”
I tried not to be too overly enthusiastic (and potentially freak her out), but you bet my answer was a resounding YES!
“Of course!” I said. “I’d love that.”
Our girls (and our boys, too!) need and crave one-on-one time with us, moms. Having that special time together without other family members, without our laptops or cell phones or iPads distracting us, and without the stress of school or work or homework gives us a chance to laugh, bond, and create special memories with our girls. And, let me tell you something I’ve learned through the years… they’ll remember that special time together with you forever.
Here are 15 wonderful ways to plan a girls’ night out with your daughter this holiday that’s memorable and magical.
Why You Should Plan a Girls’ Night Out with Your Daughter This Holiday
1. Visit a Christmas Holiday Market
Check out your local listings for a holiday market near you where you can sample festive treats, shop for unique gifts or crafts, and take in the beauty of the sparkling holiday lights.
BONUS: Pick out a special ornament and buy it for your daughter so she can hang it on her own Christmas tree one day and always remember the night.
2. Take a Holiday Baking Class Together
Many local bakeries and grocery stores offer cooking/baking classes that are fun and festive. Your daughter and you can learn how to bake the perfect cookies or a decorated holiday cake that looks professional while having fun and learning something new. Then, you can go home and show off your new skills to the rest of the family!
3. Sip-n-Paint Night at a Studio
Most sip-n-paint studios have wonderful holiday options where you can paint an adorable Christmas gnome, a nostalgic winter theme, or a festive snowman while sipping on your favorite beverage and enjoying your favorite festive snacks. Don’t worry if you’re no Picasso – the best part is laughing at how your snowman looks lopsided while your daughter’s is Instagram-worthy.
4. Attend a Holiday Lights Festival
Drive through a neighborhood known for its over-the-top decorations or walk through a park with a dazzling light display. Take plenty of selfies to capture the magic! No one says it has to cost a lot to make magical memories with your daughter.
5. Plan a Holiday Movie Marathon Night
You don’t have to leave the house to have a memorable night with your daughter.
Make a few holiday snacks, grab the cozy blankets, light the fire (if you have one), and snuggle up to watch a holiday movie… or two or three. Let your daughter choose the movie(s) (even if it’s not your first choice) and hunker down with that amazing feeling of having your girl by your side.
BONUS: Surprise your daughter with fun matching jammies or socks!
6. Spa Night – Mom and Daughter Style
Treat her to a spa night with a facial, manicure, or a foot soak at home. If you’re feeling fancy, go to a spa together and let the professionals pamper you both. Watching her relax and unwind after a long and demanding semester at school is the most rewarding and magical part of it all.
7. Attend a Festive Theater Performance
Whether you take her to see The Nutcracker, A Christmas Carol, the Rockettes, or a local musical or holiday play, getting dressed up and enjoying live theater feels special during the holidays. What makes it extra special is just being with your daughter.
BONUS: After the performance, take her out for a delectable dessert like the fanciest cheesecake in town or the local spot that offers the best hot fudge sundaes.
8. Go on a Cozy Bookstore Date
Head to a bookstore and browse holiday-themed novels or make it fun by picking out a book for each other OR a book you decide to read together.
BONUS: Finish the evening with coffee or dessert and dive into your new reads.
9. Have a Shop ‘Til You Drop Night
Hit your favorite mall and spend the evening strolling, browsing, and shopping together!
Stop in the food court, of course, for her favorite shopping snack, and while you’re shopping, be sure to pay attention to what she loves so you know what to buy her for Christmas.
BONUS: Let her pick out a new holiday top or maybe new holiday jammies.
10. Decorate Gingerbread Houses at a Cafe or Workshop
Sign up for a gingerbread house-decorating event in your area or just buy a gingerbread house, crank up the music, and spend the evening laughing over messy icing, sneaky candy-eating, and whose gingerbread house roof looks like it’s about to collapse.
11. Go Ice Skating at Night
A lot of towns and cities have spots where you can go ice skating at night, complete with hot chocolate and Christmas music. Not only will it get you both in the holiday spirit but you’ll have an excuse to hold your daughter’s hand (you know… so you won’t fall)!
12. Venture Out to Find the BEST Christmas Town
Nothing will get your girl in the holiday spirit faster than seeing a festive down decked out with holiday lights and magic.
You might have to drive a few miles or even travel and spend the night, but she’ll never forget seeing a gorgeous festive town that looks like it was plucked from a Hallmark Movie. Here’s a list of the BEST Christmas Towns in America.
13. Go On a Food Tour in Your Town or City
I did this with my daughter one year and she flipped! Do a little research in advance. Visit restaurants you haven’t tried before and create a mini food tour. Start with specialty drinks at one place, move on to appetizers at another restaurant, then another for the main course and finish with dessert at a local bakery. Make a rule: each of you has to try something you’ve never ordered before.
14. Take a Horse-Drawn Carriage or Train Ride
Many cities offer horse-drawn carriage rides during the holidays and some offer festive train rides complete with Santa, hot cocoa, and holiday music. Bundle up under cozy blankets and enjoy the sights while you snuggle up and enjoy special mom-and-daughter time. She’ll always remember it, Mom.
15. Mom and Daughter Photo Shoot
You know all those selfies your daughter loves to take? Well… why not let her use her “selfie skills” to create a montage of photos of just you and her? Bundle up and head to a holiday lights show or take a bunch of pics in front of the Christmas tree. It’ll give you a chance to get cheek-to-cheek with your girl and create lasting memories you can look back on for years to come.
BONUS: Surprise your daughter for Christmas by turning all your favorite photos into a keepsake photo book.
These Moments Matter So Much, Mama
Spending time with your daughter, especially as she grows older, is more than just fun – it’s how you build a relationship that lasts long after she’s left the nest.
These moments will stick with her. Every laugh, every heart-to-heart conversation, every silly memory – it’s all part of the foundation that reminds her you’ll always be by her side.
So whether you’re snuggled up under a blanket watching movies or enjoying hot cocoa and cheesecake at her favorite restaurant, just know, moms, that when you take time to plan a girls’ night out with your daughter, you’re creating memories that she’ll treasure forever. The world may change, but the bond between you and your daughter will always be timeless.
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