“It’s the Easter season. Why the hell are you writing about the winter holiday season?” Well, a couple of reasons.

1. I feel like the Easter season can be another one, though on a smaller scale, because it is another family holiday.
2. This is the time of year where we’re hoping to find someone to go on fun summer adventures with.
3. I finally read my friend Tawdra Kandle’s book called The Cuffing Season. I read all the time across physical copies and multiple electronic devices. I’d started this one on my phone and then a pandemic hit and I wasn’t out in public with just my phone to read. And then today, for some reason, I remembered it and whipped right through it. (You can read my full book review here.)

For some reason, it really got me thinking. How many of us in the dating world actually think about Cuffing Season? How many of us actively pursue it and how many of us do so subconsciously?

Oh wait. Do you even know what I am talking about? This is that time of year when you seek out someone to whom you can be attached for the major holiday season. You aren’t literally cuffed together, unless you’re into that. You do you.

But there’s just something about the holiday season that makes a lot of people feel extra romantic and want to share the love. I admit that I loved my years of having that significant other during the holidays. But I also think a large part of that was having the bonus family. My last serious relationship spanning the holiday season was for the years after my father died. My mother was in a nursing home with Alzheimer’s several hundred miles away and my sister lives on the opposite coast. So yeah, family was nice. Plus there are all of those romantic moments that can happen around the holidays. I totally get the appeal. And yet I’m not overly dedicated to seeking it out on purpose. I have also figured out how to navigate it otherwise, for better or for worse.

But as I mentioned toward the beginning, I find the spring holiday season leading into summer to be a sort of second Cuffing Season. In fact, I almost crave it more in the summertime.

Part of it may be because I am a summer baby. I like to get spoiled and have a lot of fun on my birthday.

I also find the summer to be very romantic. I grew up with a pool, so I was always outside. I do a lot of dogsitting in summers, and some of those people have pools (and hot tubs!) and allow me to have a friend over. Have you ever spent time in the water just talking to someone for hours? Even better is when you can go night swimming under the stars. And there is just something so sensual about the water.

Summer is also hiking season. I am blessed to live in an area with hills, rivers, dozens of waterfalls, and of course, Lake Ontario, along the shoreline of which are some of the most beautiful sunsets I have ever seen. Stay local or go on a day trip or spend a couple of days up in the Adirondacks or at one of the dozens of state parks. Immersing yourself in nature with someone you love makes it even more magical.

Oh, and don’t forget the campfires at night.

And then you have the outdoor music scene. My favorite venue is right on the beach, with my toes in the sand and a drink in my hand. Plus they have the perfect spot to watch the sunset. I have dozens of friends who are musicians of all kinds, so there is never a shortage of musical entertainment. And it is even better when I can share it with someone special.

So what about you? Do you find yourself really looking for love at a particular time of year? Or did you back in your single years? Or do you just take it as it comes?

Get your copy of The Cuffing Season

Click on the picture below to get your own copy of The Cuffing Season by Tawdra Kandle. It is my affiliate link, but that just means I can earn a couple of pennies at no additional cost to you if you make a purchase through my link.