Autumn is here, and you can’t deny it. Most of your favorite shows have started in the last couple of weeks:
Walking Dead
Empire
Orange is the New Black
It is also the time of apple picking and pumpkin patches, and all those nasty-flavored pumpkin and apple beverages (really, Starbucks – pumpkin spiced latte)! Its sweater weather, and mix that with leggings or jeggings and those new boots that mamma bought and voila, all the dogs come barking to the yard!
But cuffing season is more than just the weather getting cold, its about shacking up with someone through the winter.
So what is cuffing season? It a phenomenon that’s been anecdotally coined, since there hasn’t been any academic study on it. HelloGiggles.com defines it as, “cuffing season is a portion of the year when men shed their summer bachelor skin and start to feel lonely as the weather turns colder.” A little sexist, as I would like to think that some women do get lonely and seek out partners “to cuff” for the season as well.
But nonetheless, as the last memory of summer disappears, and the skies turn cloudy and darker, hours earlier than before; single people may get lonely, as there aren’t many outdoor events to socialize at, and watching three hours of television after work, at home alone- may be lonely.
When winter really hits, and its just too crappy or cold to venture outside, humans, like most mammals, prefer to stay at home with a hot mug of cocoa and snuggled up next to someone (until April).
Finally, the last catalyst for this height in mating, is the upcoming holidays, literally one right after another. I’m sure we’ve all been through a Thanksgiving or Holiday dinner reunited with extended family members, and that one person asks you who are you dating? When are you finally going to bring someone home? Or my personal favorite, “So-n-so just had a baby, wouldn’t you like to have one?”
Right, I’ll just get to work on that. It was on my Friday to-do list, must have overlooked it when I was crossing off, “buy stamps”, “asking out the mailman” and “wrapping his package.”
So, Thanksgiving through Valentine’s are the major coupled holidays, and less important would be Easter, but generally as the weather warms up, people emerge from their caves, and basketball starts again, thus the desire to be single again springs.
So how can you avoid becoming a victim of cuffing season?
Recognize the behavior, exes or the guy that you talked to over the summer, is all of sudden blowing up your phone and “showing up” places where you normally are. Apparently, we have not seen the worst of it, it gets most aggressive the last week of October through November.
Play it cool and watch the behavior carefully.
Also, cuffing season isn’t for everyone, if you can’t throw the ball — step to the sideline, please.
There is always the potential for love. Not many people will “consciously” start relationships for cuffing season, but there are primal instincts that drive this behavior. However, it is just as likely as any other relationship to fail.
Some top examples of cuffing:
September is the busiest month for weddings.
Everyone is announcing their engagements on Facebook.
Everyone is announcing their pregnancy on Facebook.
Ex-boy(girl)friend texting you out of the blue asking, “how stuff is.”
You are receiving random invitations to BBQ’s or other functions from a suitor.
So, have you been a victim of cuffing season? Or are you a seasonal player? I’d like to know your experiences.
Tell me @ReporterandGirl or Facebook or G+