November has ended, the leaves have fallen, the sweaters are out of the closet, Dunkin’ Donuts has started offering pumpkin- spiced coffees and darkness constitutes major part of your day (thanks to the daylight saving). It’s that time of the year when you tend to get into a hibernation mode and you might want to keep your ‘dens’ ready. - Happy Cuffing season people!
Are you scratching your head and wondering what I’m talking about? Well, for the uninformed ones, it’s the fall- winter months that formulates the Cuffing season, when the cold outside makes you too lazy for any outdoor activities and all you want to do is snuggle in a blanket with someone and watch an illegally downloaded movie or stream one on Netflix. It’s like the winter version of a summer fling. Essentially, it’s about having a seasonal cuddle buddy and not really getting into a long term serious relationship.
Though there is no scientific evidence to prove that the cuffing season exists, but it has emerged as the next big thing and is here to stay, it seems. Howbeit, there are quite a few factors which do correlate to the cuffing season like the lack of sufficient sunlight during these months, which in turn effects your hormones, sleep cycles, energy levels. You do tend to stay indoors most of the times and staying alone at home doesn’t even sound like an exciting idea. Also, have you noticed so many birthdays falling in July- August? If we do a little back calculation here, we do realize that the conception of these babies happened during November- December, thus hinting at the existence of cuffing season.
Apart from Mother nature, it is also the societal pressure that builds up high during this time and urge people to couple up. After all, who wants to spend the holiday season alone. And don’t you to want someone to kiss when the clock strikes 12 on New Years? Oh and let’s not forget Valentines Day, you definitely need a date for this day. So not only does your cuddle buddy keeps you warm during this winter season, but also acts as your show off momento at the social gatherings.
How to find a cuff buddy?
There are people who go by proper planning and start their homework way back in summer. They have their line up act in place and know exactly who their cuff buddy could be this season. So they carefully sift through their dates all summer and choose their best suited winter buddy.
There are others who are late risers and try their luck with an out of the blue ‘Hey how have you been’ texts to their entire contact list. If that doesn’t work, they resort to their Facebook friend list. This, I believe, is more of a desperate move that clearly shows, and may not go down too well.
To aid the cuff hunt, Craigslist has also come to rescue. Yes, believe it or not, I did see an ad for ’Needed: Fall Boyfriends’ on Craigslist.
And let’s not forget our best friends: The Dating Apps. Coffee meets Bagel, Plenty of Fish, Howaboutwe, Tinder, Zoosk are a few of them with a high success rate. Also, Steve Harvey has launched his new dating site- Delightful.com, right in time for this cuffing season.
How to survive a ‘Cuff Relationship’
Cuffing season doesn’t have to make you a desperado. Do not settle for just about anybody. After all, you are looking to spend the entire season with that person (if not your life). Remember, if this is not a long term relationship, it is not even a one night stand. You should be with someone with whom you connect.
Accrediting to the temporary aspect of it, you should be prepared to move on, when the time requires. You are not obliged to stay together forever. As per the Cuffing season expert Jacques Morel, there should be no place for guilt in such relationships, since everything is fair in love and war.
Managing the expectations of the relationship beforehand helps in the problems that may arise because of the shorter shelf life of this phenomenon.
Know your worth and do not be on an emotional roller coaster. At the same time, if it does want to bloom into ‘love’, let it be. Do not be too stringent on yourself.
Since it is not really a ‘relationship’, do not expect to meet each others families, friends, being on your cuff’s priority list.
Lastly and most importantly, protect yourself and be safe (you know what I mean).
On the flip side, some people also feel that this temporary dating idea is a complete waste of time. It is like lowering your standards, getting into a a psuedo- relationship, which they know it for a fact, is not going anywhere. You also risk the chances of getting someone in an emotional setback when you un-cuff in spring. You may feel that everything is moving at a pace much faster than you expect. So, if the cuffing idea does not appeal it you, it is absolutely alright to stay away from it too.
However, I feel, it’s a individual choice and there is absolutely no harm in having a snuggle buddy, as long as you both feel up for it. Having said that, giving in to a peer pressure regarding such things should be an absolute no- no.
So make the most out of the chilly winters and happy cuffing!
