While many look at the new year and promise to reinvent and start living life on a new track, attorneys across the country are saying they see a trend in January of people who take those resolutions very literally and decide to end a marriage.
The trend is so prevalent for people to file for divorce after the holidays that in some circles the Monday after New Year’s is even dubbed “divorce day,” or as WWL reported “Black Monday,” which is a reference to the most popular shopping day, only now the most popular day to file for divorce.
And it’s not just that one Monday either, as sources claim the entire month sees an uptick in the sheer number of divorce filings.
Sources point to numerous reasons for the trend, including couples spending too much time together around the holidays. Another reason can be attributed to people deciding to deal with the financial burden of the holidays together, but then splitting separate ways once all the tinsel and gifts have been put away.
There’s also the belief that some couples with children stay together just for the sake of the holidays, and then decide to file once it’s all over and done with in January.
Some couples might also wait until January for finances. This way, the two take the brunt of holiday shopping expenses together, but can also file for their taxes after the start of the new year and then use that money to help pay for associated divorce legal costs.
If divorce seems like a real possibility going into the year 2011, spouses should know that the outcome of a divorce can have life-lasting effects, therefore it is crucial to make smart decisions and use common sense when possible throughout the entire process as the way a person acts today can have a serious impact on decisions related to child custody, child support, property division and spousal support.
Source: CBS 06, “Fact Finder: New year means uptick in couples filing for divorce,” Aaron Fallon, 4 Jan 2011
