Whether or not your client celebrates Christmas or Hannukah, the holiday season that surrounds them is likely to be stressful. Every department store and restaurant the client passes seem to be celebrating, and these reminders prompt all of us to relive childhood experiences. Perhaps this motivates your client to try to create a "perfect Christmas" this year. Or, the emphasis on family may lead the client back into family relationships that are strained.

In the case of divorced or divorcing parents, there is the added stress of involving children in a series of extended family relationships, with all the attendant pressures of "putting on a good face" for a stepsister or a stepfather they have not really learned to like. On top of this, the workload of purchasing and wrapping gifts and preparing monsterous holiday dinners can be an overwhelming burden. It seems the season will never end.

Holidays are difficult to negotiate, as witnessed by the heavy caseloads that pile up on the family law motion calendars as the Christmas season approaches. A therapist is quite helpful, moreso than a lawyer, when dealing with the emotional issues which presage the Christmas/Hannukah holiday visitation. The negotiating techniques suggested in this article do not work as well in these heavily emotional environments. Sometimes, only the court can split up the holidays.

Back to Cooperative Phase Menu