 Forget the House, Cars and Pension . it's the Christmas Decorations Which Bring Out the Worst in Divorcing Couples
 Sue Mason As you take down the Christmas decorations .spare a thought for this year's divorcing couples who are more than likely to end up fighting over them.
For it's the baubles, trees and trinkets which adorn our houses over the festive period that are racing certainties to become bones of contention when warring couples divide the spoils.
Newbury solicitors, Charles Lucas & Marshall have carried out an analysis of clients they have acted for in the family courts over the last three years - and discovered that the household items or goods which are most likely to cause friction between divorcing couples are .the Christmas decorations.
"It seems such a petty thing to argue over," says Sue Mason, a member of the firm's family team. "But for some reason, the Christmas tree and its often carefully chosen decorations become a focal point for couples to disagree about.
"When we did our analysis they came up time and time again. The only explanation I can think of is that by that stage couples have divided most of the spoils and probably overlooked 'custody' of the Christmas tree. It becomes the one family asset they are not prepared to compromise over."
One piece of furniture which divorcing couples rarely want is their bed. However they are strangely attached to lawn-mowers, bedside tables and lamps and more than prepared to split sets of furniture to strike a 50:50 deal.
"I had one client who was involved in a ferocious dispute over a sideboard," said Sue Mason. "He could not come to an agreement with his wife so in the end the judge said she would saw it down the middle.
"We also had another client whose husband had a very expensive wine cellar. He came back to the family home to find it seriously depleted - although their gardener and several neighbours were toasting his health."
"My most memorable case though was when the district judge peered at all of us over his glasses, put his head in his hands and muttered: 'Please tell me we are not here to argue over who gets the Tupperware.'
"Everything else had been agreed and the couple ended up paying over £5,000 between them to have the court divide the plastic storage boxes."
Sue Mason (contact details):
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