We were excited to add a new activity to our date night rotation. Clear instructions and visuals, coupled with prepackaged pieces, soothe my anxiety and quell my fear that I'll mess it up somehow and my boyfriend will have to piece a majority of it together on his own (I've done this with puzzles and ceramics in the past).

Lego sets are easy to work together on. Everyone's process will vary, but we quickly settled into a routine that we now apply every time we open a new box. If the set is on the smaller side, one of us reads the instruction manual while the other listens along and builds. When we're done with a section, we switch. If it's a larger set, we usually divide and conquer. That way, regardless of how many pieces there are, the process always feels like a team effort.

At this point, my boyfriend and I have completed a handful of Lego sets together, including The Mandalorian & the Child from the Star Wars collection, Andy Warhol's Marilyn Monroe Collectible Canvas, and James Bond's Aston Martin. These sets not only range in difficulty, but also price—as low as $20 all the way up to $260. Some Lego sets can set you back $1,000. It can be a cheap hobby, or not.

Photograph: LEGO

Lego Flower Bouquet

$60 at Amazon

$60 at Lego

We reserve Lego builds for date nights when we've both had stressful work weeks and don't have the energy to leave the apartment—the most recent being this past Valentine's Day. We ordered some food, cracked open a bottle of wine, turned on our favorite comfort show (this time it was Schitt's Creek), and started building a new set. And yes, it was the same Lego Flower Bouquet we saw on Abbott Elementary. Gregory had the right idea.

Just like puzzles or paint-by-number kits, or even coloring books, Lego sets provide you with the opportunity to catch up on things and work on something together without staring at each other from across a table or bar. If you do want to try your hand, I suggest starting out small. You can find a lot of sets with 100 to 500 pieces for under $50, which can easily last for a few hours. And while it's a fun hobby my boyfriend and I have made our own, it's also a great activity to try with a friend, family member, or even by yourself.

For us, Lego builds are a refreshing alternative to the traditional dinner outing or movie night. Opening a new box is an opportunity to press pause on our busy lifestyles and work together to build new decorative pieces with sentimental value—all in the comfort of our living rooms. 

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