The beginning of the fall season signifies a variety of exciting fall events that many people wait the whole year for. The changing of leaves, cooler air, cozy clothes, Halloween movies, Thanksgiving, the North Carolina State Fair, and  pumpkin spice everything are just a few of the things that make people so excited for the season. Not only does fall signify the beginning of all of those, but it also marks the beginning of what people like to call “cuffing season.”

For those unaware of this exciting period, cuffing season is the time of year that so many people  “get cuffed,” or start a relationship. The term became popular a few years ago when people noticed that fall seemed to spark something between people. Everyone suddenly went all lovey-dovey. People getting in relationships left and right, partaking in various “cute” fall dates, and making everyone else in the world feel completely and utterly lonely. The explosion of popularity of the term “cuffing season” left most people wondering, why? Why does everyone seem to get boo’d up this time of year?

I can tell you exactly what it is that makes people crave all the love and affection: it’s a perfect combination of the temperature’s dropping, the back to back holidays in October, November, and December, and all of the activities people frequently partake in during fall that just seem like so much more fun with a significant other. Baking cookies, picking pumpkins, or cuddling on the couch watching Halloween and Christmas movies are all things people get so excited for during cuffing season.

Sounds great, right? The reality of it is that many people spend most of cuffing season without a  cuff. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not. But the growing popularity of cuffing season makes people without a boo feel like they’re missing out. Like a big party is happening, and they aren’t invited.

During this time of year, it seems like there are couples left and right doing all these annoyingly adorable things, but in reality, cuffing season really doesn’t dominate fall as much as people think it does. The only thing that makes it seem like the world’s greatest trend is all the social media hype. This cuffing season, if you don’t have a boo, don’t sweat it! Honestly, most people don’t either, and cuffing season can be just as much fun with your friends. 

If you’re feeling a little left out of the social media inspired fall dates, making plans to do cute things with your friends can dramatically improve that. Some of the simplest things make some of the best friend dates.. For example, grab your besties and pick pumpkins to  carve together. Any event can also be spiced up with high quality snacks and a good movie too! Basically, any of the cuffing season dates you see all over your VSCO can be done with a group of friends. No need to stress if you’re going solo, just keep swimming and enjoy your holidays with cozy blankets and good friends.