The temperature drops a few degrees, and suddenly everyone acts like being single is a weather emergency.
Couples are wearing matching sweaters. Holiday movies are pairing people off in towns with suspiciously affordable real estate. Your aunt wants to know if you’re bringing someone to Thanksgiving.
Welcome to cuffing season. Apparently, you’re supposed to find a person before you have to defrost your windshield.
But you can enjoy a little seasonal company without signing up for the whole winter package.
You Can Just Want a Date
Maybe you want someone to grab drinks with. Someone to join you at a holiday party. Someone who looks good across a dinner table and even better a little closer.
That’s a perfectly reasonable place to start.
You don’t need to decide in November who you’ll be kissing next New Year’s Eve. This New Year’s Eve is already enough scheduling.
Enjoy the invitation. Find out if you have chemistry. Let a fun evening be a fun evening before assigning it a future.
Cold Weather Isn’t Compatibility
There’s something persuasive about a cozy couch, a shared blanket, and absolutely no desire to go back outside.
But enjoying someone’s body heat doesn’t necessarily mean you enjoy their personality.
Would you still want to see them if it were sunny and your friends were going out? Do you actually laugh together, or have you just found someone who also orders delivery?
Nothing wrong with a night in. Just make sure you like the person as much as you like being warm.
And if the attraction is mostly physical, be honest about that. You can keep things light without leaving someone guessing.
Don’t Cast a Holiday Boyfriend
An empty plus-one spot can make an otherwise questionable prospect look surprisingly qualified.
They’re available. They own shoes. They’ve promised not to bring up cryptocurrency during dinner.
Practically marriage material.
Still, wanting company for a party isn’t a great reason to pretend you want something more. If you’re inviting someone you’ve only recently met, tell them what the evening involves. Especially if your family treats every new face like an engagement announcement.
“Come have fun with me” is an invitation. “Come help me convince my mother I have my life together” is an unpaid acting job.
Make Plans, Skip the Deadline
Being single during the holidays doesn’t mean sitting at home until spring.
Start a conversation. Say yes to something you’d enjoy. Suggest a drink instead of spending another week exchanging “how’s your day?” messages.
You can be open to meeting people without turning the season into a race to get coupled up. Maybe you’ll find a regular date. Maybe you’ll have a great night and a story worth telling.
Either way, you’ve given yourself something more interesting to do than defend your relationship status over mashed potatoes.
What’s your approach? Looking for a winter romance, a little casual company, or just someone who won’t steal the entire blanket?
You don’t need a holiday relationship deadline. You just need somewhere to start. Find your next date on OBC.