Anxiety over Christmas marriage woes builds ahead of festive season

Whether based on the experience of previous festive seasons, or issues that may have built up over the year, 39 per cent of people admit to having concerns over potential issues with their spouse.

The new statistics, from law firm Slater and Gordon, come ahead of the annual trend for divorce applications to rise during January, with the first Monday in the month commonly referred to as ‘D Day’ – when couples make the decision to divorce.

Research we undertook, which involved almost 1,000 married individuals across the country, revealed 15 per cent have anxiety over potential flash points in the run-up to Christmas, with more than one in ten admitting this was based on their experience of previous years.

Eight per cent say they believe Christmas could be a ‘make or break’ time for their marriage, with a similar number admitting to contemplating divorce during previous festive seasons.

Interfering in-laws are also cited as a cause of Christmas friction, with eight per cent of people highlighting that as a factor during the festive season.

While Christmas can be a focal point for marriage anxiety and issues, the research also revealed that the majority of people who went on to divorce admit to allowing issues to build for a long time – 53 per cent regret how long it took them to begin the divorce process.

More than half also believe delaying divorce caused more stress and anxiety, and 30 per cent said it resulted in a more toxic situation.

“Whilst Christmas for many is a keenly-awaited occasion, for others sadly that is not the case – and anxiety over what may happen within their relationship builds even before Christmas arrives, as this new research shows,” says Andrew Ormrod, senior associate and family law specialist.

“The pressure to deliver a supposedly ‘perfect’ Christmas can be huge for many people, and financially and emotionally this can take its toll. For those who have previously experienced a difficult festive season, this can impact on future years and instill worries that the same issues will again rear their heads.

“During that intense Christmas period, where we tend to spend a lot of time together as a family, issues can happen, arguments can arise and conflict can occur – and this can lead to big decisions being made over the future of marriages shortly into the new year.”