Careful consideration at Christmas means there is room all in a stepfamily

Áilín Quinlan says an increase in divorce and separation in Ireland means that there are now many ‘blended’ family groupings, but there is room for all at Christmas with careful planning and consideration    

CHRISTMAS is a wonderful time for families — but what if yours doesn’t fit the traditional stereotype?

Like thousands of people in Ireland today — one in 10 marriages here ends either in divorce (nearly 88,000 according to the Central Statistics Office) or separation (116,000) — you may be in a relationship with existing children on both sides.