Photo Credit: Hickory Farms website

If you love sports, you are most certainly aware of the tradition of tailgating. But many may have never had the chance to actually experience this in the parking lot on game/race day.

So, we thought it would be fun to arrange your own private tailgate party in your living room during a game–any game–for two. It could be baseball, football, soccer, or even a Nascar Race. You decide.

Here’s the idea:

Step One – Determine the game you’ll watch. If it’s your home team, then use their colors to decorate. If you don’t have a team, then decorate in the colors of both teams.

Step Two – Plan your menu. Think of your spouse’s favorite snack foods and build from there. It’s also fun to do some research of the foods common to the city where the game is being played, e.g. Philly cheesesteaks, Buffalo hot wings, Chicago pizza, etc. Or you could try the following set up on a smaller scale for two:

Photo Credit: forrent.com

Step Three – Plan what you’ll wear. Scout local thrift stores for jerseys in your team colors. Or you could buy them on Amazon if you have the budget for it. Paint your spouse’s face in the team’s colors. Have fun with this one!

Photo Credit: Got Dirt web site

Step Four – Decorate your space. Arrange your living room with the sofas pushed away from the TV and set up two folding camp/beach chairs. If you have a folding table, set it up with a plastic table cloth from your local party store or Target. Make streamers and signs to cheer the team to victory. You can even set up a camping tent if you have one and hang market lights to make it feel like you’re outdoors.

Photo Credit: Mom Endeavors.com

Step Five – Add a romantic twist. This is especially fun if you don’t really know the rules of the game/race, or you don’t love the sport. Decide before hand which team you’ll cheer for and have your spouse go for the other team. Then, decide what you’ll receive when your team scores, e.g. you get to touch your spouse wherever you want, you kiss for a determined amount of time, or you get to lay on top of them enjoying your score! You get the idea. Finally, whichever spouse’s team wins get breakfast in bed on the day of their choice.

Feel free to tweak this idea to make it special for you and your sweetie.

The idea is to bring tailgating to whole new level in regards to romance. 🙂 Check out our Pinterest boards: Date Night Ideas and Date Night Food for more ideas to help you plan the perfect night.

NOTE: If you have kids you can still do this and even include them in the cheering and such. Simply keep score privately and redeem your rewards later when you’re alone. Sometimes doing a date like this stealthily adds even more excitement to the experience.

What do you think? Would your spouse love a date like this? What other ideas would you add to make it better?