There’s something about the end of the year that makes everything feel urgent. More alive. More possible. More cinematic.
A look lasts MUCH longer. A simple text feels loaded with flirtatious subtexts. A casual “are you around?” turns into a moment. Holiday crushes don’t follow the usual rules. They arrive out of nowhere, hit harder than expected, and disappear just as easily, or not…
Because holiday crushes are a different species.
They’re born between flights, dinners, late nights, and half-plans. Between people coming back “just for a bit.” Between cities, time zones, and versions of ourselves we only meet at the end of the year. Expats return. Routines loosen. Everyone’s a little softer, a little braver, a little more open to possibility.
And suddenly, you’re flirting. Not because you’re looking for the one, but because you want to feel alive before the year closes.
There’s safety in it too.
Holiday crushes feel lighter because they might not follow you into January. No pressure. No expectations. No five-year plan. Just chemistry, curiosity, and the thrill of not knowing where this is going.
You meet. You talk. You laugh much more than usual. You romanticize everything; the music, the streets, the timing, the sunsets, the people. It feels intense because it is. End-of-year energy compresses emotions. Everything feels heightened. Like your 7 seasons series you know might end soon, so you pay closer attention.
Then comes the line. The most dangerous sentence of the season.
“See you after New Year.”
It’s either a promise… or a soft goodbye dressed up as hope. And somehow, both feel romantic.
But here’s the thing we don’t talk about enough: What if they are the one? What if this thing that started as a holiday crush refuses to stay seasonal?
Because sometimes, against all logic, it does follow you into January. And February. And March. Sometimes the spark doesn’t fade when the decorations come down. Sometimes the “temporary” becomes real life.
I know, because for me, everything started around the holidays. A crush that came out of nowhere & against all odds. More exciting. More intense. More alive than anything I expected. I thought it was just end-of-year magic. A beautiful moment. No strings attached.
Except… it wasn’t.
In January, it didn’t disappear. And now, one year later, we’re still here, celebrating something that maybe wasn’t supposed to last past the holidays.
So maybe that’s the real secret of holiday crushes.
They remind us that love doesn’t always arrive when it’s planned. Or practical. Or logical. Sometimes it shows up when we’re tired, reflective, and open. When the year is ending and our guard is down.
Maybe that’s why it feels stronger. Because for once, we’re not overthinking the future. We’re just present.
So flirt. Fall a little. Let yourself feel it. Let the magic of the holidays play its role.
Worst case? You end the year feeling alive.
Best case? You start the next one in love.
And honestly Habibi, both are wins.
