If Your Stocking Was Empty, You’re Not the Only One Thinking About Divorce This Week

Your stocking sits there like a prop from a holiday movie. Cute. Harmless. Festive. Until you wake up on Christmas Day and it is empty, after you spent days finding the perfect gift for everyone.

On Dec. 25, a Threads post from @oliviahowell lit a match under a feeling a lot of women already knew too well. “If you’re married and you wake up with an empty stocking tomorrow, my email is olivia@freshstartsregistry.com, and I’ll help you get your divorce started. You are worthy of a stuffed stocking, my love,” she wrote.

The comments that followed did not read like petty Christmas complaints. They read like a ledger of emotional labor. They also raised the question people ask every year, sometimes quietly, sometimes out loud: Should I file for divorce?

So is January really Divorce Month?

Law firms across the country love the phrase. According to Forbes, some lawyers even call the first working Monday of the year “Divorce Day,” and in 2026, that lands on Monday, Jan. 5.

But “January equals peak divorce filings” does not hold up the way pop culture makes it sound. According to Forbes, experts push back on the idea that January dominates divorce filings compared with the rest of the year.

The day after Christmas, Threads turned into group therapy

Under Olivia Howell’s post, women laid out the same storyline in different fonts.

One wrote, “I was never married to the father of my child, but I will never forget the year we celebrated Christmas together… And I sat there smiling and empty-handed… It was never about getting gifts. It was about the lack of acknowledgment of me at all that infuriated me.”

Another tried to make it funny, then made it heartbreaking anyway. “I used to sneak movie gift cards into my stocking so it wouldn’t feel so sad next to everyone else’s. Now that I’m divorced, my teenage son uses his allowance to make sure my stocking is filled.”

Divorce Day is a thing, but the numbers are messier

If you zoom out from the viral posts, researchers have found a different pattern.

A University of Washington analysis of divorce filings in Washington state from 2001 to 2015 found that filings peaked consistently in March and August. The researchers connect it to what they call a “domestic ritual” calendar, meaning people tend to avoid filing during culturally sacred family times, then act once the season shifts.

NPR reporting echoes that seasonal rhythm, with attorneys and researchers pointing to spikes in early spring and late summer.

So yes, January can feel like a breaking point. But the data suggests it is not the only one.

The “empty stocking” stories show what people are actually grieving

A lot of Threads comments circle the same bruise: being unseen.

An empty stocking becomes loud evidence. It is one more tiny moment that says, “I carried the holidays. I carried the family mood. I carried the logistics. Then I sat down, and nobody noticed I was there.”

Thinking about Divorce? Experts say slow down and look at the calendar

Forbes makes a practical point that gets lost in the memes. Even if the desire for a “fresh start” feels urgent, the timing can affect kids, money, and logistics. The piece raises questions about school schedules, bonuses paid later in the winter, and automatic financial restraining orders that can kick in once you file, depending on the state.

In other words, January can bring clarity. It does not have to bring a rushed decision.

If you need a starting point, here’s what Olivia Dreizen is offering

After the Threads conversation caught fire, Olivia Dreizen, CEO and co-founder of Fresh Starts Registry, told FIERCE she offers “completely free, one-on-one Zoom calls year-round for anyone who is considering divorce, thinking about their options, or actively navigating the process.”

“I speak with hundreds of people every year, and even […] on Christmas I’ve had quite a few bookings,” she wrote. “This time of year can bring a lot to the surface, and I never want anyone to feel like they’re navigating it alone.”

In those calls, she said she helps people get clarity and connects them to “trusted Fresh Starts Experts for free consults, including divorce attorneys, divorce coaches, CDFAs, therapists, and more.”

Maybe that is what January really is for: A pause. A deep breath. A moment to admit you want a different life.

And if the proof shows up in the form of a limp little stocking, at least you are not the only one who noticed.