As summer comes to an end, the season of fall is about to begin. The air gets warmer and the leaves are changing. Pumpkin Spice is back on the shelves and football is in full swing. And as a new season comes around, it’s going to start little colder and all our favorite fall TV shows will be back. When your single, you don’t want to be alone watching the new season of Grey’s Anatomy or be the fifth-wheel on group dates to the local Haunted House. So they find a friend whose cute, has a car, and a Netflix account. That, my friends, is the beginning of cuffing season.

First of all, I’m not referring to handcuffs. This is the time where people get together for the seasons of fall and winter up until the middle of spring, ironically right at the end of engagement season. During that time, the two figure out and see if this could be a relationship or just a casual fling. It’s been unnoticeable to be until I got to college. Summer was everyone not sowing their wild oats so to speak but having fun while looking for a seasonal beau. Those people who always have a boyfriend or girlfriend but they aren’t exclusive. They’re either talking, kicking it, or just on Netflix and Chill status. They’d be on each other’s Instagram pictures on dates but you never know if they’re an item or not. You wouldn’t be official until you declared it on Facebook.

People generally ask why we do this but it’s common instinct for some people. Singles who have grown tired of casual promiscuity want to be tied down and be in a relationship, according to Urban Dictionary. I mean the way I see it; it means you have a go to wedding date for the year. I for one have been that person who doesn’t have a date to the annual Christmas party every year. The concept sounds crazy but there’s actual data to back this up. Having a significant other is a pressure from the social stigma of feeling that you have to be in a relationship rather than be a tag along with the rest of your friends. If you don’t believe that, then look at how many babies are born in June through September. People will want to stay in and watch a full season of Game of Thrones while drinking hot chocolate rather than go out the bars every week looking for the next hook-up.

So how do you find a cuffing partner, so to speak? Well, normally it would be with someone who you’ve known for a while. Most of them are from the same friend group or you met them at a club and have been texting them through the DM’s for about a month. Then you start at coffee dates and progress to dinner dates. Before you know it, you two are RSVP’ing to Friendsgiving next month.

So there you have it. Now that you’re informed, you have enough time to prep for Draft Day. So you make your list, check it twice, make your cuts, and have the pumpkin spice latte ready.

Happy Hunting!