If you’re going through a divorce, the holidays can be an especially difficult time. Regardless of your religious or cultural background, the weeks in between Thanksgiving and the New Year can intensify feelings of isolation and loneliness, and this is particularly true if you’re spending the holidays without your spouse or children for the first time. Fortunately, there are certain things that you can do to minimize the effect on your ongoing divorce on your holiday experience – and that may actually allow even to enjoy them!

Plan Ahead

If you’re already separated and have kids, don’t wait until the night before a holiday celebration to discuss who “gets” the kids. Doing so can avoid unnecessary conflict. Even if you and your soon-to-be ex don’t have kids, make plans regarding where you’ll be spending the holidays, especially if you usually spend the holiday with your spouse’s family. Remembering to cultivate other relationships can help stave off feelings of loneliness.

Create New Holiday Traditions

When you’re ending a marriage, the holidays will undoubtedly look different than they have in the past. Look at this as an opportunity to create new holiday traditions with your family and friends. The last thing you want to do is try and have your “old” holiday with the person you are currently divorcing and end up ruining the season with an embarrassing fight in front of family and friends.

Don’t Overspend

For many people, gift-giving is an integral part of the holiday season. It’s important to keep in mind that your spending will be scrutinized during a divorce, and overspending could affect the way that your property is divided or the monthly spousal maintenance that you receive. Try and keep your spending in line with previous years and certainly do not run up credit cards or take out personal loans to finance your holiday season.

Discuss Your Plans with Your Lawyer

It’s critical to keep in mind that your actions while a divorce is pending could have a significant impact on the way your divorce is resolved. For example, if you took off with the kids for an unannounced ski trip out of state without discussing it with their other parent, it could negatively impact your custody arrangement. For this reason, you should talk about your holiday plans with your attorney. Your lawyer will be able to recognize any potential legal risks and advise you how to take steps to protect your rights.

Call Us Today to Speak with an Orange County Divorce Attorney

If you’re going through a divorce or think that one might be in your near future, you should speak to a lawyer as soon as you can. With nearly 50 years of experience, our legal team knows how to resolve difficult family law cases as favorably as possible. To schedule a consultation with one of our lawyers, call Irwin & Irwin today at 714-222-3992 or contact us online.