The holiday season is so heavily portrayed as a time for love and togetherness that it seems somewhat ironic that it can be a breaking point for many marriages. Nonetheless, there’s an annual surge in new divorce filings at the start of every year.
Why do the holidays end in divorce for some couples? Here are a couple of reasons.
The pressure of unrealistic expectations gets to be too much
Everywhere you look, the holidays are portrayed as “picture-perfect,” and people often have high expectations about romantic moments, family events and more. When reality falls short of these ideals, disappointment and frustration can set in – and even small issues can escalate into major conflicts.
Financial stressors, too, can become significant. When one spouse likes to be generous about gifts and parties and the other is budget-conscious, they may resent each other. Money issues are one of the leading causes of conflicts in marriages.
Exhaustion and burnout can turn into end-of-the-year reflections
The demands of shopping, cooking, hosting and attending holiday events can lead to physical and mental exhaustion for a lot of people, and that can test anybody’s patience. All the “holiday togetherness” can also aggravate existing tensions between couples in distress.
That can ultimately cause one or both partners to face their feelings of discontentment. Some just decide that it’s time to get a “fresh start” after the first of the year.
The reality is that the holiday season isn’t fatal to a healthy marriage. However, if your relationship with your spouse is already fragile, it can trigger the end. If you think this is a possibility for you, it’s not too early to seek more information about the divorce process.