The Christmas tree has been taken down, the New Year’s party hats are packed away and things are settling back into a normal routine. Does the post-holiday season tend to give you the blues? If yes, then you are not alone. In fact, the first weeks of January tend to make a lot of people feel down—but not necessarily for the same reasons.
The first Monday of January often sees a spike in the number of couples who head to their lawyer’s office for a divorce. In fact, this occurrence has become so prevalent that many people refer to it as “Divorce Day.” So, is Divorce Day really a thing, or just a popular myth?
Divorce… month?
Many attorneys do report that the month of January is a busy time for couples to consult a divorce attorney, file for divorce and begin settlement negotiations. However, there is not one particular day that has proven to be the most popular for divorce proceedings. A more accurate term for the January divorce phenomenon may be “Divorce Month.”
Why January?
If the anecdotal evidence for Divorce Month is accurate, then there must be a cause for the influx of divorcing couples. There are several reasons why more couples may decide to part in January:
- The holiday season is stressful, creating a rift in a couple
- Spouses feel pressured to maintain a happy façade during the holidays but it crumbles afterward
- People spend more time with each other in close quarters during the holidays, becoming bored or annoyed
- The holidays are a time of high spirits, but the crash afterwards leaves people feeling glum
- Alcohol is prevalent during celebrations, sometimes exacerbating unhealthy drinking habits
Is it inevitable?
So, if a couple’s marriage has been on the rocks for a while, is a January divorce inevitable? Not necessarily. Just as every marriage is different, so is every divorce. January may be the best time for some people to split, but spouses and their divorce lawyers should decide for themselves when to initiate divorce proceedings.