Family law firms are braced for a surge of divorce enquiries that is expected to last throughout January. For many family solicitors January is the single busiest month of the year, with divorce enquiries up to 25% higher than at any other time of year.
Many will say that Christmas is a prime season for arguments, and it has long been held as popular opinion that the season can bring an end to relationships. The January surge in divorce enquiries is perhaps the most concrete piece of evidence supporting this idea, as most theories hold that this relates to the Christmas period in one way or another.
Christmas can be a stressful time. Families can find themselves pushed for time and also under financial pressure thanks to the need to buy gifts and the necessary supplies for celebration. The result can be arguments, sometimes in front of the kids. While this is obviously not enough to bring relationships to an end in itself, it can impact significantly on relationships where tensions already exist. This can be the final step in leading troubled couples to decide that a clean break is the best way forward.
Christmas also leads families to spend more time together, and this can be a problem for couples who have become distant. While such couples were likely unhappy in their marriages already, they sometimes do not feel under pressure to end the relationship completely as the distance between them prevents uncomfortable tensions. In such circumstances, they may feel they should stay together for the benefit of their children. When the festive season arrives and they suddenly have to spend more time together and even act as if everything is fine for the sake of children and family members, this can create serious tensions and prompt them to bring the relationship to a close.
However, another theory holds that, while Christmas still plays an important role in the January rush of divorce enquiries, the festive season is not actually to blame for the relationships coming to an end. Many couples may have already decided some months before that the relationship was not working and they were going to begin divorce proceedings, but put off taking action. In particular, a recent study showed that around 20% of married parents seeking divorce admitted to delaying the things until after Christmas for the sake of their kids. In these cases, Christmas causes enquiries to be made in January rather than at other times of the year, contributing to the rush, but is not actually the factor that prompts the relationship to come to an end.
