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Breaking up with your partner today could be the 'kindest Christmas gift'

Depressed frustrated millennial woman feeling offended and sad after fight with stubborn selfish husband, unhappy young wife tired of bad relationships, worried about marriage problems concept
Relationship cracks can prove difficult to ignore in the run-up to Christmas. [Photo: Getty]

If you’re planning breaking up with your current partner, today’s the day to do it.

That’s according to a poll of 2,643 coupled-up and single people in the UK, which suggests if you want to end things you should do it now.

According to the poll, conducted by Hillarys, Friday 6 December is the “deadline” to break up with a partner before it becomes “too harsh”.

Those who haven’t done so by this date are obliged to wait until January to do the deed.

Nichi Hodgson, author of The Curious History of Dating, tells Yahoo UK it’s understandable to realise your relationship is falling apart around Christmas time.

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“Breaking up is always hard to do but it's doubly hard at a time of year when you're meant to be celebrating love, joy and sparkly connection with others,” she says.

“In fact, just the notion you're meant to be feeling those things can often throw relief on to the fact your relationship is not delivering them, and that in turn is a massive motivator for putting an end to the dissatisfaction.”

Christmas can test any relationship, she says, due to “the onslaught of parties, alcohol and social pressure to have fun. Not to mention the odd and ill judged flirtations that some people think seasonally permissible”.

However, if you think it’s definitely over, it’s best to end things today rather than umm-ing and ah-ing, she says.

“If you've truly decided you cant go and have any kind of heart, today is really the best time to end things.

“It will allow everyone involved to make alternative plans for the coming weeks if they're no longer to be spent together and stop that feeling of dread at the forced emotions you'll have to fake until January otherwise.

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She adds: “In many ways, a break up can be the kindest Christmas gift you give someone - nobody wants to realise half way through the holidays that they're running on borrowed time.

“So dare to take the plunge and do it today if you need to.”

Just two weeks after Christmas, on January 8 is dubbed ‘Divorce Day’ by lawyers because of the sheer volume of couples who file for divorce.

According to some experts, it follows the pressure of having the ‘perfect’ Christmas - which can reveal cracks in a relationship.

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