What is your Ideal Night In?

The ideal night in? What does that even mean? I don’t know because I’ve ever had an ideal night in. Or an ideal day at home. Is an ideal night in better when you’re with your spouse or siblings or parents? Or is it better when you’re alone?

But apparently there is an art to getting that ideal night going. For a start it should begin when you get home and the best time to get home is about 5.30pm. You then take a 19-minute shower and then make sure you’re settled on your sofa at around 6.40pm in your pyjamas with a nice blanket.

Surveys reveal that different people have different ideas of what they would want to do when they‘ve planned a night in. For example, it should be a Friday because then they can enjoy the night in more because the next day, and the next, is a day off. They don’t want anyone dropping in uninvited, even if it’s a close friend, and they’d rather be alone with their pets or with their family. But really many prefer to be alone.

They would prefer not to cook anything elaborate unless it’s just baking a cake or pastries. Instead, they would prefer to order a takeaway from their favourite restaurant because that involves not only no cooking but also no washing up afterwards.

The next thing they plan is what to do when dinner is over. Of course, a nice cup of coffee and a sweet treat can’t be overlooked nor can what to watch or what to read. In the old days, they’ve opened a favourite book but, of course, nowadays they just open their Kindle which can’t have the same vibes. Others might turn on the TV and see if there’s a good movie on and, if there isn’t, they’ll turn to Netflix or see if there’s anything on YouTube. In fact, they might even fall asleep on the sofa with the TV running in the background or with the book or their Kindle falling off their laps. These are the ways people seek to unwind now and again.

A night in is actually literal and intentional. Contrary to what many people might believe, if someone says they’re going to be having a night in, it means they actually want one and are not just saying that because they have nowhere to go. But some people like to use the night in to study or improve themselves. They might want to catch up on some reading or do a complete facial or even sleep until the next morning because they’re exhausted.

They might just want to rest their eyes or clear their minds from whatever might be bothering them. A night in might even mean having a close friend come by to talk things over with them about both their problems.

When I was at university in England, I used to have one day in the week when I had no classes; I think it was a Tuesday. I’d use the day to wash my hair, catch up on reading, help my mum around the house, tidy my room and sort out my university gear. I’d tidy my college bag, which was one of those briefcase types, and I’d tidy my wardrobe, washing things and airing them. That was my day in.

Granted I wasn’t relaxing for nights in don’t necessarily mean you have to jump into your pyjamas and plonk yourself on a sofa. Nights in could also mean catching up on doing things you normally wouldn’t have the chance to do in the week or even the weekends, because most people use the weekends to go out and meet friends, especially now that the weather is more outdoorsy.

But not everyone likes to have nights in. I sometimes think that that notion is more age related. The younger generation wants to go out no matter what day of the week it is because they think staying in means time wasted.

There’s a joke going round on the internet where someone says that the night before a day off from work is better than the actual day off. It is so true.