Yes, cuffing season is a real thing and it really happens every year.

Cuffing season can be described as single people looking for short term partnerships to pass through the colder months of the year. Cuffing season usually begins in October and even lasts until after Valentine’s Day.

Cuffing season can be a crazy affair – some people’s mindsets are set towards the need of a short-term relationship (just to last for the holidays) while others are in a rush to find a partner to bring home and present to their family members over the holiday festivities and beyond in the hopes to transition into a more long-term and committed relationship.

This can lead to a lot of quick short-term and toxic relationships filled with drama, deception and bad outcomes before, during and after the Christmas holiday season.

It always happens – each time when the weather transforms itself from hot to cool and finally to cold – the phenomenon of yearning for a relationship happens. Where people that would be normally single during any other time of the year, thrust themselves into a relationship during the late falls and winter months.

This “cuffing season” phenomenon is a term that is usually heard of more in a colloquial setting; where the cold weather and prolonged indoor activity causes single people to become lonely and desperate to be in a relationship.

In essence, the idea does make a lot of sense – if it is cold out, you typically wouldn’t feel like enjoying everyday outdoor activities such as clubbing, horse back riding, barbecues, partying, golf and so on. So, why not get a short-term partner?

It seems people are naturally inclined to look for a warm person to snuggle next to in the cold months while preferring to live a single life during the late spring and summer months.

Most of us are aware of the term “summer fling”, and cuffing season is its antithesis. Just as there are rules to a summer fling, cuffing season comes with its own set of unwritten rules that we all need to be aware of before we place ourself in precarious positions.

Yes, it is convenient to be hitched during the holidays, no more being single and no more awkward questions about when you are getting married from your Grandmother. But the dark side (or light – depending on your perspective) is that YOU ARE IN A RELATIONSHIP and thus relationships standards do apply. You can’t just do whatever you want in comparison to a promiscuous single person.

Once the Christmas parties and family get-togethers are over, one or both people in the relationship come to the realization that they may or may not like each other.

Thus, the agony of calling it quits take center stage and can be a far more ominous and strenuous task than using someone for a short-term partnership, whether they are aware of it or not.

BEING EXCLUSIVE:
These days, casual relationships are a thing. The beauty of casually dating means that you can walk away at any time absolved of all guilt. But when you shack up for the winter, you are transitioning from a casual to a more committed relationship, even if you deem that relationship to be only temporary.  Couple this with the human psyche when it comes to bonding due to sharing close quarters with someone then we are all susceptible to forming a close bond with them, especially if there’s consistent intimacy.

The relationship may seem like a ‘friends with benefits’ set-up but has the air of commitment written all over it. These commitments can become heavy once the interactions between both partners are steady and family from one or both ends get involved.

If you do not want anything that resembles a mutually exclusive agreement, then I would suggest staying away from cuffing season if your mindset isn’t psychopathic.

YOU ARE INVESTED:
When you are cuffed that means there is an investment in a relationship. You invest your time, gifts, emotions and much, much more.

Your winter fling can easily transition into a full-fledged relationship post season and these relationships carry a lot of weight and responsibility.

When entering cuffing season with a partner, the lines between a fling and a relationship can get blurred to the point where you find yourself sticking it out throughout the duration of the winter for many that are cuffed and even going on further to have a long term partnership.

The cuffing season appeal is obvious and makes sense, but the nature of the arrangement can have any expectancy such as very casual relationship to an extremely committed one. The hype of cuddle season may be the appeal of temporarily attaining the feel of a relationship, but this should all come with a warning. This caution should be – if you are not ready to commit to someone then spare yourself all the drama, subterfuge and headache and move on.

PARTING WAYS:
Cuffing season brings back romance and courtship during the fall and holiday season. These are two components many modern-day men and women tend to shy away from. The worst part of this is for someone to send mixed signals to someone who you don’t hold much significance for.

It can be extremely hard to part ways after cuffing season since unlocking those cuffs can be as hard in a metaphorical sense as they are in a physical one. Feelings can and will be hurt, one or both partners can become upset, irate, angry and even carry bitter feelings for the other partners once things are said and done.

Furthermore, being cuffed for an extended period of time complicates the friends space as well as the friends with benefits space. Instead of keeping intimacy physical, cuffing goes beyond that and creates cuddling, muddied feelings, and holiday responsibilities.

IN CONCLUSION:
Cuffing season can be seen as a good or a bad thing. Some people find it a pleasant way to pass through the winter months while others avoid the phenomena like the plague.

Male-female social dynamics can be tough to traverse. It can end up messy for most or end up being the best decisions two people may make.

Furthermore, it is always best to know what you are getting into. If you are cuffing only for the short term then be straight forward about it. If you are only looking for a less committed relationship then be candid about it.

The worst thing is to have two people in a committed or non-committed relationship with not truly knowing what their partner really wants and what level of commitment each person is seeking.