It appears that even couples who want to split up are willing to gut it out through the holidays. No one wants to spend Christmas in a courtroom, negotiating about who gets to spend time with the kids.
Divorce increases dramatically after the holiday season ends, with one study finding that filings go up by roughly 33 percent.
Some experts have started calling the Monday following Christmas “Divorce Day.” That may not be true this year, as Christmas is on Monday in 2017 and so the following Monday is Jan. 1, New Year’s Day. However, if the trend holds true, the same general increase will be seen.
After all, some researchers note that the increase doesn’t really abate until January ends. Couples with kids may wait until the children go back to school to start the new year.
One thing that is interesting is that some couples who were polled were just trying to preserve the festive feeling of the holidays. Some were actively evaluating their marriages. In one poll, 25 percent of those asked said that they looked at that Christmas season as a “make or break” stretch.
If the holidays were a fun time to reconnect, they may stay together. If they were a stressful time that just exposed the marriage’s issues even more, they could head for divorce. These were couples who’d already considered their potential problems, but they used the holidays to make their decision.
Thinking that you and your spouse will split up right around Divorce Day? Be sure you plan ahead and really look into all of the legal options that you have.
Source: Chicago Tribune, “After the holidays, Divorce Day looms,” Danielle Braff, accessed Dec. 15, 2017
