This past spring, a man broke my stupid heart. On the rebound, I dated a lot over the summer. I went on good, bad, boring and straight up terrible dates. After one particularly bad date, I decided to take a hiatus. Meeting a bunch of dudes who I cared nothing about felt much worse than being alone, so I thought I’d try it out. No dates, no friends with benefits, no random dudes who were waiting on the backburner. Just me. I spent the last few months not dating anyone and it’s been amazing. With cuffing season looming, I decided I want to opt out and keep this solo moment going.
If you’re not familiar, Urban Dictionary defines cuffing as the moment when “people who would normally rather be single or promiscuous find themselves, along with the rest of the world, desiring to be tied down by a serious relationship.” This can also translate to “everyone is too cold to go out and meet new people, so I’ll just hang with one person until it’s warm enough to date other people again.” Rather than wasting your time with some lame dude, here are the reasons you should join me in going solo this winter.
1. You’ll avoid the awkward holiday parties.
Holiday parties can be the best time or the worst time depending on who’s there and what it’s for. A tacky Christmas sweater party with all of your closest friends? Super fun. Your holiday cuff’s holiday work party with people you don’t know and don’t really care to get to know? A thing of nightmares – especially when your “relationship” is nothing too serious. No thank you, I’ll stay home and watch Hallmark movies with my dog.
2. You won’t have to buy extra gifts.
The holiday season is probably the most taxing on your bank account. Especially once you’re an “adult” who is now expected to buy gifts for everyone in the family. Plus, since this person would be fairly new to your life, you’d have to go through the whole “what the hell do I get this person because all I know about them is that they like Rick and Morty” dilemma. You’d probably end up getting them something that they’ll never use and it’ll be a big waste. Why even go through the trouble?
3. You can spend more time with friends and family.
For lots of people, the holidays are the one time of year they see their grandma and their Great Aunt Susan. When you decide to cuff someone, they become another person to factor into all the plans and holiday traditions you usually commit to. And, you may invite them over to meet your family, which is always a mistake.
4. You’ll probably end up settling.
With the rules of cuffing season, so strict and a small time frame, you’re bound to lose out. Last year, after breaking up with a long-term boyfriend, I decided to cuff for dear life because I didn’t want to be alone. He ghosted me after New Year’s Eve. Looking back, I definitely settled. I barely liked him, I just wanted someone around. I’ve done a lot of growing in the past year and realized I’m interested in settling for some mediocre dude just so I don’t have to be single.
5. Heated blankets are just as good as a warm body.
Part of the reason this weird phenomenon came about is so that people don’t have to cuddle up alone in the dead of winter. Luckily, God or Beyoncé or whoever is in charge of good things in this world invented heated blankets. I’m here to tell you, they are a game changer. They’re big, warm, fuzzy and heavy. Just like a person.
6. It’s not actually ~casual~
Cuffing season is when you don’t want a relationship, but you don’t want to be alone. The weird in-between of it all puts, even more, pressure on the relationship. Spending every weekend in bed with someone is an easy way to catch feelings. To keep the lines from getting blurred, you have to set boundaries and it becomes way more work than it’s worth.”25-year-old Kylie Bichsel, who works in fashion, told the Daily Beast:
Women who are independent and don’t want a relationship or lack thereof to define their life narrative have given up on that bullshit.
7. Once the cold weather ends, so will your relationship.
Cuffing season “ends” around February (just in time for Valentine’s Day) when the weather starts to warm up. So, once the weather gets nice, you’ll be left find a Spring/Summer Fling. I mean, I guess if you’re going to be dumped, it will be in the warm weather and not out in the cold.