Founder
The holiday season is just around the corner. If you have been recently divorced or this is your first time through the holiday season post-divorce, you may have some overwhelming emotions about this. After all, so much of a family’s heart and soul can be poured into holiday traditions. When you think of this time of year, visions of holidays spent with family and participating in your tried and true holiday traditions may quickly come to mind. This year, you may have a difficult time seeing how these things are going to work out or being disappointed about how different things may look after divorce. Do not despair! Now is the time to set your intentions for a successful and joyous holiday season post-divorce. Here are some tips for setting yourself and your family up for great holidays after divorce.
Handling the Holidays After Divorce
As the holidays approach, review your parenting agreement to double-check on how the time-sharing schedule should go for each holiday. If there are any details that need to be ironed out, do so sooner rather than later. It is important that you, your co-parent, and your children, be as clear as possible on the holiday schedule. Knowing when your kids will be with you or with the co-parent can help prepare everyone mentally and emotionally for what the holidays will look like. Establishing a schedule early on will help reduce needless stress and conflict that could otherwise arise in the absence of a clear plan.
While old traditions may not feel right or may even feel foreign after a divorce, that can still be okay! After such a big life change, you and your family are likely ready for some new holiday traditions. While sentimentality about old traditions may be difficult to overcome, working to put new traditions in place can be a fun adventure to go on with your kids. Adjust old traditions, make new ones, and you may very well be surprised how much you enjoy it. Instead of focusing on the loss of old traditions, you all get to focus on this new and exciting chapter. It can be a great opportunity if you approach the holiday season with intentionality and a healthy dose of optimism.
Additionally, and this is something we all could really benefit from, prepare yourself to let go of the illusion of perfection. We all fall victim to this, especially around the holiday season, but it can put unnecessary strain on a post-divorce family already shouldering so much. Instead of attempting to execute countless things to perfection, focus on the wins. The minor victories that can pop up along the way will sustain you and help you enjoy the holiday season. The imperfections that pop up, and they will pop up, should not be given any more power over your holiday joy.
Giving yourself some grace can also be a big part of another important thing to focus on during your post-divorce holiday season, and that is keeping yourself healthy. People love to talk about the importance of self-care, but may not actually take the next step of taking the time to care for themselves. Get enough sleep. Remember to eat, especially healthy meals. Get those endorphins pumping with dedicated exercise time. This will all help you stay healthy and with enough energy to successfully navigate the holiday season.
Florida Family Law Attorneys
At Bernal-Mora & Nickolaou, we know that navigating divorce and post-divorce can be challenging in unexpected and significant ways. That is why we are here to work our hardest to protect your best interests in a divorce. We want to set you up for the most successful post-divorce life possible. You deserve it. Contact us today.
