1. Have a designated weekly date night. This works for some couples can who commit to putting aside an evening for quality time together and make an effort to incorporate new activities and outings into this time.

2. Spontaneous dates. Commit to planning a surprise date for your significant other, say, once a month. Switch off by months. Think of a fun, out of the ordinary activity for the evening and don’t drop any hints. When the day of the date rolls around, tell your guy or girl how to dress for the evening (for instance, recommend old clothes if the plan is to go paintballing, or a dressy ensemble for a gallery opening). The element of surprise is the most essential thing when it comes to keeping things interesting.

3. Break routine as much as possible. Keep the romance alive. It falls by the wayside in relationships all too often, and couples lose the spark that brought them together. Hide a gift somewhere unexpected in the house. Put on some slinky lingerie. Experiment with whipped cream next time you’re getting it on! Whatever it takes, do your best not to let things get stale!

What are your tips for keeping things exciting between you and your significant other?

It’s that special time of year again when People (the original supermarket trash-mag) reveals its numero uno pick for the Sexiest Man Alive. This year’s honoree: Jerry O’Connell.

This choice makes us tilt our heads a little to the side, scrunch our noses and be like “Really? Huh!” He’s pretty cute and his physique is positively tip-top in the People photoshoot that he did wearing nothin’ but a Speedo. But, besides being Rebecca Romijn’s baby-daddy (to twins daughters; precious), it doesn’t seem like he’s done much lately.

Let’s have an election: Jerry O’Connell as 2009’s Sexist Man Alive, HOT or NOT? Cast YOUR vote below.

There are so many hot new video games out at the moment; it’s hard to know what to play first. So what do you do when your girlfriend wants to spend some quality time together, but you would rather be racking up XP points on Modern Warfare 2?

How about making date night game night! Convincing her that this is a good idea might be a hard sell, so choose your games wisely. If the first thing she encounters is you shouting down your headset at the 12 year old who just shot you in the face over Xbox Live, she may not last the night.

Obviously the Wii is a good place to start, with its family friendly games and illusion that you may actually be doing some exercise while you play, but, guys, let’s face it – the Wii is for kids, and we need some hardcore gaming action here.

Before you get to the games, avatar creation is a good idea to get your lady more immersed in the gaming world. She will love creating a mini version of herself on Xbox Live and shopping for clothes and accessories on the avatar marketplace.  Once this digital foreplay is over, it’s time for the main event. The trick here is to choose a game with strong female characters, but one you will also enjoy playing. Just because she is a girl, doesn’t mean we need to be playing Barbie’s Horse Adventure. Games like Left For Dead and Resident Evil 5 both have strong female characters and are great games to play together. Don’t forget the eye candy either. She will get just as much out of watching Uncharted Nathan Drake‘s biceps pulsing, as we do watching Lara’s butt for hours on end.

Hopefully gaming night will be a success and could become a regular feature on your dating schedule and when the console gets turned off, it doesn’t have to be game over. A new sort of game can start, where all that finger exercise may come in handy!

Thank you for hanging in there, and now we’re back to your regularly scheduled programming.

-the HOT or NOT team

Bet you’ve got your New Moon tickets already! Don’t be embarrassed. We’re not here to judge.

I’m curious about New Moon. I suffered through all four books of the over-hyped Twilight series last winter and was quite disappointed, with the exception of the gorgeous male lead, with the first film. It was low budget and rife with cliché teenage angst. Just like the written version. Maybe that’s what some people like about the books, though? So, if the best part of the first film was Robert-as-Edward, then I’m definitely not rushing to see the second film, especially since, in the book anyway, Edward isn’t even around for much of New Moon.

As you’ll remember, the second novel opens with a severely depressed Bella moping around Forks with a perma-frown as she longs for Edward, who is in Italy. And who stays in Italy for most of the story. Except for a few hallucinations in which Bella stupidly puts herself into danger and sees a vision of Edward’s lovely face just when she think she might die (she doesn’t), he’s pretty much M.I.A.

With Edward gone, Bella starts using Jacob (who is actually a werewolf) as her understudy boyfriend. They hang out, go for motorcycle rides. Jacob falls in love. Bella doesn’t. She’s still pining for Edward, even as she and Jacob become more buddy-buddy. It’s not until the end of New Moon that Edward resurfaces again. At least the moviemakers chose a sexy (edit: very sexy) actor to play Jacob. Good move, casting crew. You know us well!

True or false: Based on the New Moon trailers, Jacob looks sexier with his crew cut than with his shoulder-grazing hair? I say “true.” Those abs make our eyes rejoice, too. Lucky girl, that Taylor Swift is, as I’m sure you’ve heard by now that she’s dating the actor who plays Jacob, who also happens to be named Taylor (Lautner).

Also true, it’s kind of weird to date someone who has the same name as you. But in the case of Swift and Lautner, we get to nickname them “TayTay” – and that’s a catchy name we’re definitely into!

I just started dating this great guy over the summer and I decided to invite him to my family’s Thanksgiving dinner in Maryland this weekend.  It has just occurred to me that I overlooked one huge problem… my family is insane!!

My new boyfriend is kind-hearted, sweet, thoughtful and I’ve never heard him raise his voice (even after the Phillies lost the World Series!).  But my family?  Let’s just say they’re wild, loud, obnoxious, and not afraid to speak their minds. I love them to death but I’m afraid my boyfriend is going to be scared by their off-putting ways.  One of their favourite stories to tell my new boyfriends is how when I was a kid I used to wet my pants every time I heard thunder.  SO embarrassing!!

Should I dis-invite him or just spend the weekend praying no major humiliating disasters occur?  And if they DO happen, how can I do quick and effective damage control so I don’t spend the next holiday alone?

Jodi in Philly

Dear Jodi in Philly,

Thanks for your question!

Families and holidays can be the two biggest stresses of our lives.  We love them, but they drive us crazy!  We don’t get to choose our families but these are the people who have loved you and raised you since the day you were born so whether we like it or not, they are important pieces in the puzzle of our lives.

Bringing people together is what the holidays are all about so I think you should definitely bring your boyfriend with you.  He is special to you and your family should get a chance to check him out!

I once brought a boyfriend home for a holiday to meet the family and within 10 minutes of his arrival, the video of me trying to shove grapes up my nose when I was 8 years old was playing for him and everyone else to see.  He just thought the whole thing was hilarious and we dated for nearly a year after that!  From the sounds of how sweet your boyfriend is, I’m sure he’ll have a similar reaction.

You may want to do some pre-emptive damage control with both your family and your boyfriend.  Kindly tell your family this guy is really important to you and you want to them to make a great first impression (aka no stories about any childhood bladder issues).

Your boyfriend would likely benefit from a crash course in “Your Family 101″ as it is probably better he hears all of your humiliating stories from you, not your wacky Uncle Fred.  Though if he’s anything like MY wacky Uncle Fred, he has a million more embarrassing stories up his sleeve to torture you with!

Ultimately, you have to be prepared for your family to embarrass you at some point this weekend but remember: if your boyfriend can’t accept your family for who they are, he may never accept YOU for who you are and you’re probably better off without him.  A decent and worthy man can surely look past your family’s faults to see the love they have for you.  And keep in mind, Christmas is fast approaching and that’s a great opportunity for you to visit HIS crazy family and watch your man squirm!

Good luck!

Susie

Have you ever had a terrible experience bringing your significant other home for the holidays? Let us know in the comments!

Hi guys,

I love my boyfriend, but I can’t stand his friends! They’re immature, disrespectful slobs. All they want to do is drink beer and talk about chicks. My boyfriend turns into a different person when they’re around. I don’t want to tell him that he can’t see his friends anymore, but it’s really starting to put a strain on our relationship.

What do I do?

Ally

She Says:

Ah, yes. You’re referring to the Golden Rule of Manhood, which dictates that all men must turn into Neanderthals when their buddies are in the room. It’s like the sweet guy who, just last night, was telling you how much he likes you, has been abducted by aliens and you’re left wondering if he’ll ever return to Earth again.

The best thing to do in this situation is to use your words. Hopefully your dude’s not actually from the Stone Age and has learned the modern communication tools of talking and listening (complex for some males, I know, but not entirely impossible). Tell him how it makes you feel when you’re chilling with him and the guys: “I feel uncomfortable when your friends make inappropriate jokes,” or “I want to hang out with you and the guys, but I feel awkward when they chug beer and talk about porn.”

Don’t be on the attack and point out his friends’ inability to pick up after themselves or the fact that you know 3-year-olds with more maturity, though, because your boyfriend will defend them and possibly turn against you.

Being honest and telling your boyfriend how you feel doesn’t mean that his butthead friends will change their behavior, but if your guy knows how it makes you feel, he might be less inclined to join in on the buffoonery when you’re around.

He Says:

Guys getting together, drinking too much, talking about girls and acting like imbeciles? Yep, that sounds about right. This is what guys do and it’s not hugely different from how a group of girlfriends act when they get together, except there would be more giggling and less knuckle dragging.

Instead of trying to hang out with the guys, let your boyfriend have his “man night”, without having to worry if he’s offending you  or preparing for the ear bashing that you’ll launch on him later. Let him get all the immature, jock behavior out of his system, so when he comes home to you, he can revert to that person you like being around. I’m not saying you should sit at home doing needlepoint and waiting for your man to return. Why not get together with your girlfriends for a truly girly night? Just don’t spend the entire night bitching about your boyfriend!

What would YOU do?

1. Keep it small – some families naturally have the luxury of a small and intimate gathering. If you’re not obligated to go over-the-top with your holiday party, then don’t! Invite only the family and a few close friends to keep the costs manageable. Other families have several immediate members and innumerable extended family members and significant others, and for them we’d recommend…
2. Potluck – the simplest solution when you want to entertain a large group of people without breaking the bank. Offer your home as the venue, and perhaps offer to take care of the turkey. Each additional person attending is responsible for providing a dish for the party (it often makes sense to provide a list of staple dishes and allow guests to choose the dish they’d like to provide). The benefits of the potluck are that you’ll wind up with a good range of dishes for the appetizers, main course, and dessert, and there will be plenty of food to go around (and most likely leftovers as well).
3. If neither keeping it small nor having a potluck is an option for you, here’s a few simple ways to cut costs for your holiday party:

• Keep it casual. Instead of a sit-down dinner, lay out a few hors d’oeuvres for an afternoon party where people can drop by as they please. Or have a dessert-only party with wine and coffee later in the evening.
• Cut back on decorations. Instead of splurging on decor, use candles and ornaments that you already have in the house. A few candles can work like magic to help set the holiday ambience, or set colorful bowls of candy around the house for a fun and cheap way to spice up the look of things.
• Don’t go all-out with the booze. You don’t need to have a bottle of every kind of liquor in stock. Stick to wine and beer and non-alcoholic beverages for your guests.

Do you have an additional tips for keeping parties cheap this holiday season?