E-Love Me Tender

Ah, December. It's a scientific fact (according to my observations, that is) that this time of the year breeds more couples. Everywhere you turn the streets are overrun by masses of kissy-facin' duos, pairs publicly displaying their affections and sidewalk hoggin' hand-holding twosomes. As the winter cold rolls in and spurns chilly nights, lonesome singletons are painfully reminded that the only things going to keep them warm this season are cups of instant hot chocolate and their favorite wool sweater.

The overwhelming amount of lovey-dovey couples prancing about forces single people to face their spouseless mortality and reassess their lives. The moment you realize you're the third wheel on all the dinner outings with your coupley friends is when you're compelled to reevaluate and reconsider the current state of your non-existent relationship status.

To make matters worse, the "de-singleization" process takes a great deal of time, effort and patience. For single folk, attempts to find another body to warm up to every evening are often tiring and fruitless-it's difficult to hit the local pubs, try out your best pick-up lines and also stay warm in the cool winter nights in your sexiest and skimpiest of attire-this being the reason why I endorse online dating.

Before you jump on your high horse of real life rendezvous, hear me out. There is a common misconception that online relationships are strictly reserved for the stereotypical social recluses hiding behind their computer monitors, too lazy to go out and forge "real" connections with "real" people. They are mistakenly given a bad rep for "stretching" the truth when it comes to who they really are-in a world where self-descriptions are sprinkled with euphemisms and things like "more to love" just mean "tubby and overweight." Though this claim can often hold true, there are more exceptions to the rule than are actually presumed.

Many critics argue online dating is a threat to the classic black-and-white fairy-tale romances in movies like "Casablanca" and "Gone with the Wind." Instead of lines like "Out of all the gin joints in all the towns in all the world ... she had to walk into mine," it's becoming more fitting to say things like "Of all the game servers to play on … she had to log into mine." Instead of sifting through old shoe boxes of folded and tattered love letters, we browse through neatly organized desktop folders of saved e-mails. Gone are the days of leaving roses on your beloved's doorstep when you can send virtual bouquets online.

And then comes the danger factor. NBC's "How To Catch a Predator" is just one of many shows that highlight the dangers of how meeting individuals online can potentially end in often embarrassing and illegal circumstances. It's unfortunate that these happenings do occur. However, the phenomenon of online dating is becoming so prominent that it is the responsibility of the individuals to be safe online when it comes to who they decide to chat up and exchange details with.

Are Web sites like eHarmony and Craigslist any different than personal ads people used to place in the classifieds section of newspapers?

Technology has made the world smaller. You can play video games on your Nintendo DS with a family member in Hong Kong, watch streaming YouTube videos with a friend in Italy or even discuss the morning news over tea and crumpets with a special someone all the way over in England using Skype.

The idea of telepresence, that is the presence of a human being through a technological mechanism, may not exactly emulate the real warmth of another or the locking of two eyes for the first time, but it can definitely be a much-needed substitute when your special someone is literally worlds away.

Just because you can't physically be with someone doesn't mean you can't bask in your normal everyday activities. Many times, friends and I have spent evenings with one another laughing at marathons of "How I Met Your Mother," watching full-length zombie flicks like "Shaun of the Dead" and falling asleep "e-cuddled" up together.

However you decide to keep warm these wintry holiday nights, whether it be online or off, be safe. Now if you'll excuse me, my special someone and I are going to curl up next to a virtual e-Yule Log together.

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