What the hell is ‘cuffing’? The festive dating trend that’s on the rise

As the nights get colder, the desire to have a warm body next to us increases.

Yes, with Christmas trees appearing in shop windows and hats and scarves beginning to sell out, festive spirit is most certainly on the rise. However, while it is apparently the season to be “jolly”, the winter months are also statistically the time of year that us singletons feel most lonely. According to Urban Dictionary, that feeling of loneliness and the increased amount of time spent indoors results in many working desperately to be “cuffed”. With a desire to have someone to go ice skating with, cuddle up on the couch and watch Home Alone with, and someone to act as a human hot water bottle in bed, singles are embracing the winter dating trend known fondly as 'cuffing'. If you’re unfamiliar with the phrase, the trend sees singletons searching for a potential partner so they can be 'cuffed' or tied into a relationship during the colder months. However, if you’re partaking in the trend and are embarrassed to admit it – don’t be! Dating apps such as Tinder and Bumble see a big increase in the number of active users and sign-ups during the months of November through to January. And it’s not just the amount of people that changes on dating apps this time of year, their desired outcomes also change. The number of people looking for ‘casual hookups’ is outnumbered by those actively seeking relationships in the hopes of having a partner for Christmas. 'Cuffing season' kicks off on November 1 and runs until the day after Valentine's day. However, while having a someone to watch all the Harry Potter movies from start to finish with can be nice, we're happy to enjoy that share bag of Doritos and cup of a hot chocolate stretched out of the couch in the company of our fine selves any day.