It all started off innocent enough. There I was, cozying up in bed with a mug of chai on a cold November night, thinking to myself, “Why not find someone to do cute Christmas couple activities with?” So, I opened up Hinge and started swiping…little did I know, my cozy night would turn into a Hinge Christmas nightmare horror story.Â
A few matches in, I came across a guy, let’s call him “Rudolph”; he seemed great: face card was there, he worked out, loves dogs, and he checked every box! Twenty minutes into chatting, he suddenly asked to video call. Bold and random, but I respected the effort, so I said yes.
The second I pressed “accept,” I was blasted with Christmas music, flashing lights, and a bright red sweater. I’m talking full Mariah Carey mode: LED lights everywhere and a 21-year-old man in a bedazzled reindeer sweater. Keep in mind… it’s early November. As the call went on, he started showing me his entire collection — at least six different sweaters, each somehow worse than the last. I honestly couldn’t tell if this was a prank or his personality…Â
The weirdest part? When I asked if he actually liked Christmas, he dodged the question entirely. Not a word!!Â
It continually got worse. He started talking about his journal; he keeps a notebook of every dream, nightmare, and impression of people he meets, and asked if I wanted to be in it. At that point, my face went red, and I quietly opened the app to unmatch him mid-call. I looked him dead in the eyes and hung up.
Sometimes, you have to unmatch or hang up a call unapologetically. And honestly? That’s more than okay. No apologies necessary. Your comfort matters more than anything. Some connections aren’t meant to be, and that’s fine.Â
As for me, I won’t be wearing a Christmas sweater again… at least not before December.