What is ‘Divorce Day’?

 Posted on December 08, 2017 in Divorce

Are you ready for a divorce but not ready to upset the kids, your in-laws, your parents or even your spouse over the holidays?

If so, you aren’t alone. There’s something about the season that either gives people renewed hope about their marriage or makes it utterly clear that the romance is finally over.

That’s why lawyers have come to call the first Monday following the Christmas break as “Divorce Day.” According to many attorneys, Divorce Day isn’t strictly an American custom — it’s a phenomenon seen in several different countries where Christmas is an important tradition. Come the following Monday, however, appointments to file for divorce nearly triple the usual number.

Some relationship gurus even think that there’s a combination of factors at play:

• People don’t want to associate the holidays with their divorce or set that image up in their children’s minds (if they have any).
• People want to begin the coming year with a renewed lease on life, so if they’ve already decided to leave a marriage, they’re highly motivated at the turn of the calendar to meet that New Year’s resolution to take better care of themselves — and they see divorce as one way to do it.
• People are looking ahead to Valentine’s Day and don’t want to be trapped into a scene that is forced and feels false (by pretending to still feel romantically-inclined toward their spouse).
• People are looking ahead to Valentine’s Day with renewed hope that they’ll find someone new — but realize that they need to free themselves of old entanglements in order to do that.

Whatever the reason, if you’ve already scheduled a Divorce Day meeting with an attorney, you won’t be alone. Take the time between now and then to collect your important documents and get your records together so that you can get through the process as easily as possible.

Source: Chicago Tribune, “After the holidays, Divorce Day looms,” Danielle Braff, Dec. 07, 2017