Relationships

7 Reasons The Official Start Of Cuffing Season Is The Winter Solstice

Can you feel it? There’s a chill in the air, paired with the sound of cuffs clamping into place all around you. Yes, folks, the annual cuffing season is upon us — that glorious and/or stressful time of year where folks, driven indoors by the inclement winter, find themselves thirsty to partner up and snuggle their way *exclusively* until the spring thaws. The changing of the leaves may be the first hint that cuffing season is coming, but if we're being real, its true start this year is Dec. 21. If you're wondering why cuffing season starts at the winter solstice, yes, it's partly the weather, but there is actually a lot more to it.

It’s about how we live our lives when the temperatures drop. And most of all, it’s about where our hearts and minds are at as the winter season kick into full gear that lends itself to being a time for getting close with someone. Seasonal romance is just another reason why winter is the most magical time of year. So what exactly is it about the winter solstice, though, that makes it the true beginning of cuffing season? Well, I'm glad you asked. Here are seven reasons why.

1. It’s Just So Dark Outside

The winter solstice is the darkest day of the year, and what better way to savor those extra nighttime hours than snuggled up in bed with someone? Longer nights mean more quality naked time.

2. Body Heat Is So Much More Appealing This Time Of Year

In the summer, the idea of being pressed up against someone loses a lot of its appeal. Too sticky. But in the winter, there are few things more enjoyable than cozying up with someone and sharing that body heat. And we all know what happens next... So having someone special who is a built-in snuggler just makes sense.

3. There Are Fewer Reasons To Go Outside

In the summer, everyone wants to get outdoors, and there are all kinds of social activities all hours of the day and night. So of course, the pull to be free and single is powerful. The opposite is true when the nights are long, dark, and cold. Being shut off from the social life just makes you want to find someone to brave those nights with, so you stay warm and never lonely.

4. Everyone Else Is Cuffed Up

No one wants to be that last swinging single when everyone else has locked it down, right? This is not the season of girls nights out. So if you haven't found your winter bae, then things can get pretty lonesome.

5. The Holidays Make Us More Sentimental

A big part of why people tend to find themselves in exclusive relationships this time of year has a lot to do with the holiday season. Family and love play a big role in the season, and it has a way of opening up even the most cynical of hearts — for a few months anyway.

6. We're Craving The Coziness Of Domesticity

There is something inherently nice and soothing about domesticity (in small doses) so it just makes sense that, when the world outside is cold and uninviting, you'd want to lean into the comfort of playing house with someone. Plus, all the things you want to do when the temperature drops lend themselves to staying inside — like warm comfort food, cuddling under a Snuggie for two (yes, they exist), and, of course, getting busy in the boudoir.

7. New Year's Eve Is Rapidly Approaching

It also doesn't hurt that, by the time we reach the winter solstice, we are really staring down the barrel of New Year’s, where we all, to some degree, do some soul-searching about what we've achieved in the last year and what we hope for the year to come. Romance and relationships play a big part in that for the most part, so it just follows that having an open heart and willingness to lock it down is in season.

While not all cuffing season relationships are built to last, they do help to keep the winter months warm.

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