The Holidays Are Here, So Is Breakup Season

If your relationship has been on shaky ground, it may be about to end. Statistics indicate more couples break up between Thanksgiving and Christmas than any other time of year. That's followed by early February. Stress levels escalate this team of year, often leading to a "last straw" impact on already strained relationships.

Clinical Psychologist Dr. Michelle Golland tells the New York Daily News, “People take this opportunity to end it, because the idea of spending another holiday unhappy is intolerable. Picture sitting at Christmas dinner with your parents faking it, when all you can think is, ‘I want out of this relationship.’'

I've been involved in a few holiday breakups over the years, playing both roles, dumper and dumpee. It's never pleasant, regardless of which position you find yourself in. Some people delay breaking up because they want to avoid the uncomfortable moment "til after the holidays." That's a bad idea. If you know your relationship is doomed, get it over with, sparing each other the awkward social situations, as well as the stress (and expense) of a half- hearted search for a Christmas gift. Don't go into a shell after the breakup. Socialize, get out and spend time with people who care about you.

There's an upside to holiday breakup season. Match.com reports, search activity spikes between Christmas and New Years, which means you won't be the only one looking for a new beginning in the new year.