At The Holladay House, we celebrate all of the different stages of love from engagements and elopements, to anniversaries, family reunions, and our current obsession that’s ideal for a winter vacation – Snuggle Season.
Snuggle Season is our whimsical term for the chilly winter months where comfort food tastes best, reading is better under cozy blankets, and you can’t get close enough to your favorite person, thereby snuggling. Before you get to thinking that snuggle season sounds sweet but silly, there are actually scientific benefits to snuggling. Physical touch, which happens to be the love language of many people, releases oxytocin, otherwise known as the “love” hormone in our brain when we experience touch, like snuggling, from someone we really like or love. But more than just making us feel good mentally, oxytocin through snuggling brings a bunch of other health benefits into our lives.
Snuggling improves your sleep. Imagine a winter getaway where you enjoy a great dinner and then snuggle up with your sweetie beside a warm fireplace before retreating to a room like the Holladay Hideaway. Think you’d be able to get a goodnight’s sleep? We do! But if you leave out the snuggling post-dinner, you’re less likely to sleep well since the release of oxytocin before bed reduces sleep apnea (which also means you might hear less snoring!) and improves the resting state of our heart.
Not only does snuggling release oxytocin, but it also increases the amount of serotonin, which is the “happy” light in our brain. This is how snuggling can help combat mood-busting germs. When you have higher levels of both serotonin and oxytocin, your gut experiences greater balance. Serotonin is what gives us those feelings of butterflies, by the way. Through a more regulated gut, your body can more effectively fight off nasty winter germs. So, if you’re trying to avoid the flu – start snuggling!
There are two additional reasons to embrace snuggle season: reducing stress + anxiety and strengthening relationships. When your stress is reduced and you’re consciously pausing in your day to be present and relax, it’s easier to communicate with your partner. Share something you both enjoy together like a great book or movie, or soaking in one of our whirlpool suites. While there are similar scientific explanations for this phenomenon, let’s be honest, do we even need an explanation? We think you just need more of the cure.
A weekend getaway, or even a one-night stay, can help you and your partner recharge and celebrate Snuggle Season. We also have several romance packages to make your stay extra-special including perks like in-room massages, gift certificates for dinner, and some of Virginia’s best wine. In our opinion, Snuggle Season never truly ends, but the optimal time for celebrating is during the winter months and we’d love to host you at The Holladay House.
