You Need Romance. You Need a Sleigh Ride.

By on February 8, 2014 Categories: Jackson Hole Winter

Listen up, men. Valentine’s Day is important. We all just survived the holidays. Let’s be real. Chances are the woman in your life took care of all of the scheduling, gift buying (or at least all of the wrapping), food prepping and general holiday organizing. This beautiful creature just pushed herself to the absolute limit to create a festive spirit and memories of a lifetime. She is exhausted and wants some romance. This is why the greeting card industry got away with creating this holiday known as Valentine’s Day. They suggested we all celebrate love and romance and exhausted women everywhere clung to the idea with a vengeance. Holidays are exhausting. Winters are long and cold. Save yourself some trouble; give yourself over to the idea of Valentine’s Day. Plan some romance.

Ok. Had to lay the smack down. Sorry, I’m not sorry. Now, here is a simple solution for your romance deficit.

Sleigh rides are powerfully romantic. I once contemplated marrying a man after he took me on a sleigh ride at Spring Creek Ranch. We had been on a few dates. I was pretty sure that he really liked me; after all, he was taking me on dates that included big romance. Example A: the sleigh ride. I was pretty sure I wasn’t that into him. I was 24 and just didn’t feel it. What can I say? Love is a fickle beast.

I agreed to the date but was already planning my exit strategy. I was deciding between, “I really like spending time with you, but I don’t see a future here…” and “I’m busy next week and the week after that but… maybe we could hang again next month.” My 24-year-old self was not my best self.

Something about the sleigh ride though started to shift my thinking. It was so quiet. The blanket was so warm. The horses were so majestic. The view was so breathtaking. The setting was so intimate. I don’t really know how the sleigh ride was so magical and romantic but it was. The views, watching the sunset over the Tetons, kind-of clinched the deal.

My date was no longer a guy I was about to ditch. He was my new romantic hero. He was a man who knew how to treat a lady right. I started thinking about a future with him, and that night, the future looked good. Sure, our chemistry was only so-so and we had very little in common. None of that mattered because the romance of the evening was so strong.

We ended up going on a few more dates, none of which included a sleigh ride and the relationship fizzled. Sleigh rides are not a magical cure-all. They are extremely romantic though. If they can make me contemplate a marriage to a man I didn’t even get along with that well, imagine what they can do for people who really like each other?
Good luck, men.

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