Utah Divorce Filings Go Up After the Holidays

If you ask most people what their favorite time of year is, many will say the holiday season. Whether you celebrate Christmas, Hanukkah, or some other end-of-the-year holiday, the goal is to come together and enjoy your loved ones. But it’s an unfortunate fact that the holidays can also be the most stressful time of the year. It can be so stressful that it leads to divorce – which is why divorce filings go up by a third in January. 

Let’s explore some of the possible reasons why divorces increase during this time of year.

Divorce in the Holiday Season – Possible Reasons Why

1. The holidays are a culmination of the year, for better or worse.

End of the year holidays can seem like a final hurrah for the previous year. You and your loved ones made it through the year and have a big celebration or celebrations to mark your accomplishments and prepare for the year to come. For some families, it’s a time of joy and possibility. But if you and your spouse have been struggling before the holidays, the year-end culmination can possibly bring together all of the problems into one big message – it’s time to get out.

2. Stress can bring out the worst in people.           

It is normal for people to show their less desirable qualities when they are under extreme stress. The holiday season is notoriously stressful.  You and your partner have likely already been feeling considerable stress if your marriage is not doing well. The stress of the season and the stress of the relationship issues make it likely that whatever qualities you don’t like about one another will come out – and come out in a big way.

3. Couples try to hold out through the end of the year.

Although the first few days of January could be considered part of the holiday season, it’s worth noting that divorce filings go up after the holidays are over. Couples want to avoid tainting the holidays with divorce so they strive to keep things together until they are technically over. Instead of announcing a divorce on Christmas Eve, they wait until New Year’s Day has come and gone.

4. If they can’t make it work during the most loving time of the year, when can they make it work.

People want the holidays to be positive, warm, loving and hopeful. The truth is that all of the expectations around the holidays can make it quite difficult to hold on to all that goodwill. But couples may decide that if they can’t enjoy their relationship during what is supposed to be one of the best times of the year, the relationship is possibly not worth saving.

Considering Divorce in Utah? Contact Us.

We know how hard it can be to make a decision about divorce. Our Utah divorce attorneys can help you understand your options. If you are thinking about getting a divorce or you have already decided to do so, please contact us for a free consultation Our divorce law team is standing by to answer your questions.