MIND OF MY OWN

The Woman's Own columnist has her say on games, marriage and nostalgic annuals

- DAWN NEESOM

Why is it that we only do these things on 25 December?

30-YEAR ITCH

It’s not surprising that this time of year is stressful and puts a strain on all relationships – especially marriage. The number of people contacting divorce lawyers soars every January, purely because being locked at home together all Christmas exposes every niggle. What I didn’t know, though, is that rather than the infamous seven-year itch, we now have a 30-year itch. Over the past decade, 183,411 married couples (16%) split after being together for five to seven years. But divorces after 30 years are, in fact, more common, according to Office for National Statistics figures. One reason is thought to be that by this time, kids are off our hands, we’re looking forward to retirement and wondering if our spouse is really the one we want to spend the last decades of our life with. On the other hand, there’s a lot to be said for comfy old pairs of slippers, even if you do get a new set every Christmas, isn’t there?

WELL, IT IS CHRISTMAS!

Why is it that we only do these things on 25 December?