Dealing with Divorce During the Holidays

The holiday season in America usually means two things to most people, other than snow and festive decorations: giving and being with family. You see it everywhere, from movies to television to greeting cards to even the sides of coffee cups. What no one ever seems to address, though, is how the holidays can feel worlds more complicated and stressful when you are going through a divorce. What are you supposed to do to keep everything peaceful and civil? The answer might not be straightforward but these helpful bits of advice may help:

1. Don't wait until Spring: If you and your spouse know you are on the verge of divorce but want to hold off until the holidays are over to begin it, you could be making more trouble for yourselves than its worth. Waiting and bottling up your true feelings can be disastrous and make you feel undue stress when you should be feeling some form of relief. Better to be honest with one another and file if that is what you want to do.
2. Family gatherings: Attending a traditional family event around the holidays is going to be particularly tricky if you are going through a divorce. If your extended family is quite large and you are comfortable with all of them, you both may be able to attend without any complications. If gatherings are generally quite small, you should talk to your spouse about who should be there for which ones – maybe split events 50-50?
3. Dashing through the snow: Don't literally dash through the snow – always drive carefully – but be prepared to travel some distance if you are divorcing and share children together. Relocation can feel like a nuisance at first, especially when you want to see your children during special events, but you are likely to find the added space a luxury in the end.
4. Giving gifts: While it might be generous to give graciously to the ones you love during the holidays, you might not be able to give all that you want to. Many married couples share their finances – it makes sense and simplifies things – but as a divorce is ongoing, it can look suspicious or distasteful if you dip into your shared finances too much or too often to buy gifts. Try to set some time aside to talk to your spouse about what to buy this season and for whom to avoid surprise expenditures and battles.

Warmer Times Lie Ahead

Perhaps more important than any other advice we could give you is the reminder that you will get through this troubling time. If you approach your divorce with the help of a professional family law attorney, ideally your divorce will be settled far before the next holiday season, meaning you won't have to face with these same complications again. Granted, there may be additional unforeseen troubles, such as both you and your spouse giving the same gift to the same person, but those problems will be nothing you can't handle, either.

Contact a Jacksonville divorce attorney from Hutchinson Law today if you need legal support while dissolving your marriage. Whether your divorce is contested or uncontested, we can help guide you to an amicable solution that does not jeopardize your wellbeing or your finances. Call (904) 638-3134 or submit an online case evaluation form today.