Exclusive | Why even horny couples cool off after the holidays and how to make sexless January hot again

Confession: as a singleton who battled through a very single holiday period, I recently stumbled on some news that made me feel a little (shamefully) smug.It all began when my friend, who’s been married for ten years, messaged me in a huff: “Honestly, I’ve never wanted my husband more, but he’s gone completely cold on me!”Well, safe to say my ears pricked up.This couple has always been known for their over-the-top public displays of affection.

They’re that horny high school couple that never really grew out of the “rip each other’s clothes off” stage.Yeah, yeah, good for them.Sigh.So, this revelation came as a shock.

She explained that she thinks their dry spell boils down to driving him nuts over Christmas.Dragging him to three different relatives’ houses, assigning him the unenviable job of hanging holiday lights all over the house, and sending him on countless last-minute supermarket runs for “just one more thing.”“He’s so burnt out, he doesn’t even want to cuddle!” she moaned.

Meanwhile, she’s desperate to reconnect and get naked, but he’s more interested in binge-watching football highlights.Yawn.It turns out she’s not alone.

Past surveys by the American Psychological Association found that 38% of Americans describe the holidays as “somewhat stressful” and 26% say they are “very stressful.” Add in post-Christmas credit card debt, family drama, and bloating from one too many servings of turkey, and it’s no wonder couples need a breather come January.Yes, post-holiday burnout is real.Experts agree the holidays are a perfect storm for killing the mood.“It’s incredibly common for couples to experience a decline in intimacy during January,” Simone Jobson, a relationship counselor based in New York, told me.

“The holidays create a lot of external pressure, from financial strain to emotional exhaustion.By the time it’s over, most people just need time to rest and recover.”And let’s not forget the rath...