IT’S looking like it won’t just be the weather that’s icy this Christmas, as families around Britain brace themselves for some frosty festive feuding.

Around 1.8 million couples fear that this Christmas may be the last straw for their relationship, according to research for the Family Mediation Helpline.

For many, Christmas time is not a time of merriment or joy. One in ten people secretly dread Christmas for the stresses and strains it causes their relationship and nearly a quarter (23%) of people know someone who has split up with their other half at New Year.

So much for goodwill to all men; women, it seems, are far more likely to spoil for a fight than their partner at Christmas. Three in five women (62%) are expecting a row with their other half, but fewer than half of men (48%) think they’ll end up locking antlers.

And to confirm once and for all the jokes about Christmas clashes between the fairer sex and their mother-in-laws, far more women are expecting a row about the in-laws than men, with 20% and 15% anticipating it by either side respectively.

Men are also laissez- faire about festive boozing, with only one in ten of them (11%) thinking that someone drinking too much could start a fight, while almost one in five women (17%) see it as a bone of contention.

Did you see someone who wasn’t mummy kissing Santa Claus? You won’t be alone.

Tempers will fray this Christmas in extraordinary fashion.

Nearly one in ten (7%) of us have stormed out during Christmas dinner in a fit of rage, and some Britons have been so annoyed with someone that they threw the Christmas pudding at them. Almost one in ten Britons (8%) have lost their temper with the inlaws, and if you’re giving socks as a gift this Christmas, you’d better watch your back because one in fifty people have thrown a rubbish present back at the person who gave it to them.

The good news is that Christmases won’t always pass with a chill because Britons do actually mellow with age. While four in ten (39%) 16-24 year olds say that when Christmas gets a bit much they take it out on their other half rather than anyone else, only one in ten (10.2%) people over 55 say the same.

Family mediator of 17 years Martin Dodd, who works in East London and Essex, says:
“We’re flooded every year in January with people who broke up with their partners over Christmas and New Year - very often actually on Christmas Day itself or New Years Eve.

“Breaking up will always be a difficult time, but it doesn’t have to be as stressful as many people anticipate if you take control of the situation, and go about it sensibly by opting for mediation rather than adversarial and costly litigation.

“Mediation encourages good communication so you can support each other as parents and prevent future problems. Because whatever you think of each other, your children need you both, and are hurt when you argue.”