December leads in breakups

December Leads Year In Breakups, But Lags in Promotions, Weddings, Divorces

December is probably the most exciting month of the year, but other than the retail sector going crazy, how does December really measure up to some other months?

For example, December is not the best month for relationships. The most popular day when boyfriend/girlfriend call it quits is the Monday closest to two weeks before Christmas, according to a Facebook graphics posted by blogcritics.org.

That day was yesterday, December 12. If you weren’t dumped, you are doing good.

Why? Perhaps the stress of Christmas approaching leads to a boiling point in relationships.

Perhaps the coming of the New Year motivates people to make a new start. Or, perhaps it is as simple as not wanting to spend money on a Christmas gift. Very few are cruel enough to dump someone on or immediately before Christmas, so this can force somebody as hand to do it about two weeks before, concludes blogcritics.

December is also not the best time of the year to get a promotion.

According to data collected and analyzed by LinkedIn, January, June and July are the most popular months for U.S. workers to receive promotions. Globally, January, July and September are the top three.
January represents the new calendar year, while in June and July evaluations are being conducted. Bosses like to wrap things up before leaving on vacation in August, and if they don at, then those in line to be promoted will have to wait until September, according to LinkedIn.

And if you want to get married, June is the most popular month. That as when the start of moderate temperatures and reasonable outdoor weather begins in many corners of the globe.

Also, a wider and cheaper array of flowers are available, according to bridetide.blogspot.com.

But cheap flowers are not the major reason why June is so popular for weddings. It as tradition.

Back in the day, couples often chose to marry in accordance to their peak harvest time. Having a June wedding meant that a possible summer pregnancy would still be early enough in the season that a wife could help out with manual work during that year as harvest period. It also meant that after a spring birth, the recovered bride would be in good enough health to assist in the next year as harvest, according to Bridetide.

Here is my favorite reason.

A long time ago, regular bathing was not exactly considered a necessity and was therefore reserved as a once-a-year event that most of the population observed during the last part of May or beginning of June. As expected, right after their annual bath,  many couples decided to tie the knot since each person was probably their most presentable (and less stinky) during this time compared to the upcoming 12 months.

August is the most popular month for giving birth, according to lifeslittlemysteries.com, although all summer months rank pretty close in this category. February ranks the lowest.

Experts theorize that the timing has a lot to do with weather conditions nine months earlier. Go figure.
As the mercury drops in the late fall and winter, things heat up at home as people spend more time indoors. About nine months later, a summer baby is born. Makes perfect sense.

Cold, dark January may be a good month for promotions, but it as a bad month for marriages.

That is when most divorces are filed.

Perhaps January is a popular time to divorce, says YourTango.com, because the December holidays can be a time where emotions run high, leaving people to become angry or unhappy with their marriage. Just after the holiday season, many people might feel that divorce is their best option.

There you have it, a small cycle of human civilization. Enjoy the holiday season, make it through Dec. 12, and watch out for January, unless you are up for a promotion

John Toth publishes The Bulletin weekly newspaper in Brazoria County, Texas. He was an award-winning writer for The Houston Chronicle until he decided to leave all that serious stuff behind for a chance to participate in high risk business ventures like publishing a weekly, which he has done since 1994. He can be reached atjohn.bulletin@gmail.com