Why Holiday Forced-Proximity Always Hits Hard

When the weather traps them, the tension does the rest.

Holidays are already emotional minefields, so when you add a surprise snowstorm, a full house, and one very inconvenient attraction… forced proximity becomes the ultimate Thanksgiving trope.

It gives us:

• Nowhere to run

• One couch, one guest room, too many people

• Wine-loosened confessions

• Accidental intimacy

• Secrets slipping in the quiet 

Holiday forced proximity isn’t just a setup. It’s pressure. Heat. Vulnerability wrapped in cozy sweaters. 

It’s two people caught between what they shouldn’t want and what they can’t ignore — and readers (all of us) devour it like the last piece of pumpkin pie.