We Got Through Christmas… But Things Aren’t Okay

For many families, Christmas is the finish line.

You tell yourself:
“Let’s just get through the holidays.”
“We’ll deal with it in the new year.”
“It’s not the right time to think about big things.”

And then January arrives.

The decorations come down.
The routines return.
The noise fades.

And for some people, there’s a quiet, unsettling realisation underneath it all:

We survived Christmas — but nothing has really changed.

January is a thinking month, not a doing month

January isn’t usually when people want to make big decisions.
It’s when they start noticing things more clearly.

You might be:

• still living under the same roof, but emotionally very separate
• trying to keep things calm for the kids, but feeling constantly on edge
• having the same conversations over and over without any real progress
• functioning on the outside, but exhausted underneath

Nothing dramatic may have happened.
Nothing may feel urgent.

But something feels off.

That matters.

You don’t have to decide everything at once

One of the biggest misconceptions about family law is that speaking to a lawyer means:

• escalating things
• choosing sides
• starting a process you can’t stop

In reality, early conversations are often about slowing things down, not speeding them up.

January is not about:

• making final decisions
• filing documents
• committing to a particular outcome

It can be about:

• understanding where you actually are
• getting clarity about your options
• thinking through next steps without pressure

Sometimes the most helpful step is simply having a calm, structured conversation before things become urgent.

Waiting doesn’t always make things easier

We often hear people say:
“We thought waiting would make it easier.”

Sometimes it does.

But sometimes waiting just means:

• more confusion
• more emotional fatigue
• more unspoken tension
• children absorbing more than anyone realises

Getting clarity early doesn’t mean you have to act immediately.
It means you’re not carrying everything on your own.

A gentler way forward

At Umbrella Family Law, we see January as a month for permission:

• permission to reflect
• permission to ask questions
• permission to pause before making big moves

If something has been sitting quietly in the background since Christmas, you’re not alone — and you don’t have to have it all worked out before reaching out.

Sometimes the first step is simply understanding the pathway ahead, so whatever comes next feels calmer and more considered.