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Hiring a Craigslist 'Holidate' May Come With Legal Risks

By Andrew Lu on December 05, 2012 | Last updated on March 21, 2019

There may be no holiday season quite like Christmas to remind you just how lonely you are. And with the Internet seemingly providing a solution for everything, some desperate (and digitally savvy) singles are now turning to Craigslist to hire a holiday boyfriend or girlfriend.

Using Craigslist to find a temporary partner for the holidays may seem strange at first, but upon reflection, the two seem to go hand in hand. After all, you can find pretty much everything else on Craigslist like jobs, housing, and video games, so why not finding some holiday companionship?

One ad that's getting some buzz announced: "Two Girls, One Season. Wanted: Holidates - w4m - 26," the website YourTango reports. While the ad has been taken down, the two women who purportedly posted the ad have since set up a Tumblr page to chronicle the responses they've received so far.

And the women are not alone. Individuals across the country have posted Craigslist ads looking for a short-term date this holiday season, including those who simply don't want to show up alone at a company Christmas party, according to YourTango. Some have even gone so far as to offer money for a good date.

So are there any legal considerations to looking for a date on Craiglist?

Looking for a date on Craigslist is really no different than looking for a date on Match.com, JDate, or any other online dating website. In fact, the added benefit is that it is free (albeit somewhat risky) to meet people over Craigslist.

However, looking for a temporary holiday date on Craigslist can start veering toward illegal activity if, for example, the ad offers money for a "no strings attached" date or similar request that is actually a code word for sex. This may be construed as soliciting a prostitute.

But then again, some ads seek only a one-night stand-in as a significant other, with the promise of nothing more than free food and drinks at an awkward family or office gathering. Hiring a Craigslist "holidate" may not be for everyone, but for some people in this digital age, it just clicks.

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