Project Date Night: July

Here's the post I started writing back in July our Project Date Night: July... and then promptly got distracted and forgot to finish and actually post. Yep, it's been that busy around here. But never fear! I do remember to get back to things, eventually.  If you're new around here, read all about Project Date Night here.

July 25 was humid, rainy and 73 degrees. It for all the world reminded me of winter in Florida. And seeing as it was the 25th, Christmas in July seemed a fitting theme for this month's Project Date Night.

Guess how many websites have posted a Christmas in July themed date night idea? Big. Fat. Zero. Ok, so back to the drawing board.

Warning: this post will not contain sweet awesome graphics or stunning photography. Instead you will find pics featuring poor lighting, odd composition, blurry action and silly expressions. Proceed with caution.

Menu

• Christmas Tree Snack Plate (strawberries, grapes, cheese and pecans arranged on a platter)
• Iced Eggnog Lattés (strong brewed coffee blended with coconut milk and vegan eggnog, topped with ground nutmeg)
• "Oatmeal" Cookies (grain free)

Details
We played several "Minute to Win It" games.  A lot of the games are geared toward a group or competition between two people at the same time. To keep things simple, we just printed up the names of the games on slips of paper and put them in a [santa] hat.  Then we took turns drawing a slip and trying to complete the challenge within 60 seconds.

Hysterical. Really. I don't think we've laughed this hard in a long time.

Bag It

Item(s) Needed: 5 gift bags in varying sizes, from small to large

Object: Move 5 gift bags (one at a time) from starting point to ending point using mouth only within 60 seconds.

How to Play: Set up the 5 gift bags at the start line from smallest to largest. Pick an ending point about 15 or so feet away (we used the island in our kitchen). When the clock starts, the player picks up a bag from the floor using only their mouth. NO HANDS ALLOWED!! Run to the end point and drop off the bag, making sure it's standing up. Run back to the starting point and pick up the next bag using only your mouth and repeat until all the bags are standing up at the ending point or 60 seconds are up.

It's harder than it looks!

Face the Cookie

Item(s) Needed: 1 cookie (something small and crunchy works best. We used oatmeal cookies and they were a little soft and crumbly. I saw Oreos used one time and that worked well).

Object: Player must get the cookie from their forehead to their mouth within 60 seconds without using their hands.

How to Play:  Player sits in a chair and tips their head back. Place a cookie on the player's forehead and start the clock.  Player must use their facial muscles or head movement to work the cookie down to their mouth. If the cookie falls off, they may pick it up and return it to their forehead and begin again.

Christmas Cliffhanger

Item(s) Needed: 10 or so Christmas Cards (or any greeting cards or cardstock folded in half)

Object: See how many cards player can blow off a table within 60 seconds.

How to Play: Note, this is supposed to be a 2-player game, with both players going at the same time. We decided to go one at a time and compare scores. Set up the cards tent style in a line at the near edge of your table (or kitchen island, or bench).  Start the clock. Player must blow the cards off the far edge of the table - NO HANDS or other body parts allowed, just breath! While the player is blowing cards off, another person should set them back up in the starting position (and keep count!) so the player can keep blowing cards off until time runs out.  Have another player repeat the game and compare scores.

Jingle in the Trunk

Item(s) Needed: 16 small jingle bells, tissue box (or similar), belt or yarn/string/ribbon

Object: Shake as many jingle bells as possible out of the tissue box within 60 seconds using only body motion.

Prep: Before play, cut a slit in the short sides of the tissue box near the bottom, just wide enough to feed your belt through. Feed the belt through the slits. Put all the jingle bells into the box. 

How to Play: Player should belt the jingly box to their lower back or rear end (their choice, but I'll tell you it's easier if it's belted to the rear end). Start the clock. Player must get as many jingle bells as possible out of the box using only the motion of their body - dance, twist, shake, jump, whatever... just NO HANDS.

I was laughing SO hard...

Santa Paws

Item(s) Needed: Large pair of ski gloves, small prize, 5 boxes (varying sizes), wrapping paper

Prep: Wrap the prize in the smallest box, then put that wrapped box inside a larger box, wrap the
second box and so on so all the boxes are wrapped individually and nested inside each other.

Object: Unwrap each box to reveal a prize, while wearing ski gloves, within 60 seconds.

How to Play:  Player should put on the gloves.  Start the clock.  Player must unwrap each box to reach the prize inside the smallest box.  If the player succeeds within 60 seconds, he gets to keep the prize.

Christmas Tree Stack

Item(s) Needed: 36 plastic cups (all the same size and type - solo cups work well)

Object: To stack the cups in rows in a pyramid shape and return them to a single stack within 60 seconds.

How to Play:  Start the clock.  Player separates cups from the stack and places them in a row of 8 on the table, then stacks a row of 7 cups on top, then stacks a row of 6 cups on top, etc. to form a pyramid/triangle shape. Then, the player must return all the cups to a single consolidated stack (like they were at the beginning) - all within 60 seconds.

It's do-able, but challenging. Gotta be fast and careful!

Winding Down
Whew! After all that exertion, we flopped on the couch and watched a Christmas episode of one of our favorite TV shows, Psych, while munching on our Christmas themed snacks. So fun!

Your turn! You may not feel the need to be this crazy, but it's always a good idea to let loose and be silly with your spouse every now and then. Merry Christmas in July, everyone!