For some people, the start of a new year could mean attempting Dry January or starting a new diet.
However, for some couples it's an extremely difficult time as they realise they need to end their marriage.
According to Manchester Evening News , this is because there's a huge spike in divorce enquiries on each first Monday after the New Year.
This year 'Divorce Day' falls on January 6 and a number of legal experts have issued advice to those facing the troubling decision to divorce their partner.
Samantha Farndale, family lawyer at Slater and Gordon, said: “This time of year, when people are spending days together in closer quarters, it can bring up issues.
“These might have been easier to look past normally as we are busy with work and other responsibilities. But as work ends for the year and other obligations slow we have time to examine our relationships and talk about the year ahead.
“The family court system is generally busy year-round, so when we have a rush of cases at the start of January it can create a real backlog of work for the courts, which creates delays.
“In previous years we have seen clients face up to four weeks' wait on their cases.
“Law firms can also feel the pressure of increased demand and as business we have anticipated by ensuring we have a full team, ready to answer queries.”
Sarah Jackson, from BLB Solicitors which serves Bristol and Bath, said there's more initial enquiries for legal advice in January but added such decisions usually take months of "careful consideration".
She said: "We do tend to get more initial enquiries for family law advice in January than in December, but not a significant increase and I have never seen a 'rush' to file for divorce on the first day back in January.
"A client's decision to contact us will usually be a culmination of months of careful consideration, rather than a specific reaction to the Christmas chaos; the majority will have been thinking about or discussing separation for a while.
"They may have been through relationship or separation counselling and have physically separated some time ago but chosen to leave the formal or legal aspects until the New Year.
"Usually it will not be an easy decision to contact a divorce lawyer, but the New Year is seen as a chance to make a new start."
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