Some news that could hit hard if your relationship's feeling a bit wobbly, or will make you feel really smug if you're single: International 'Break Up Day' is tomorrow. 

According to a 2008 analysis by Information Is Beautiful, December 11 is the day most people publicly updated their Facebook status to 'single'. Marie Claire and a bunch of other outlets have since dubbed it the unofficial 'Break-Up Day'. 

Why December 11? It kind of tracks. It's prime pre-Christmas chaos. Work parties, Secret Santas, office end-of-year drinks, family visits, and looming trips to the bach with no distractions, suddenly, the cracks in a relationship start to show. 

December 11 is late enough to give the relationship a final 'check' before the holiday madness, but early enough to avoid ruining everyone’s Chrissy selfies. 

Of course, the original Facebook data is a bit dusty - it’s over a decade old and only tracked people who were willing to announce breakups online. Nowadays, people break up via 'we need to talk' texts, awkward Zoom calls, or dramatic 12-part TikToks. 

No recent peer-reviewed studies confirm that December 11 still holds the title, but the idea has stuck because it’s painfully relatable: Summer holidays are stressful, emotional, and full of pressure to appear cheerful while quietly panicking about whether you want to spend the New Year with this person.

So, if your partner's started acting weird this week… maybe hit pause on the pavlova, and keep the receipt for that flash Christmas present you just bought them. 

Breakups happen. Sometimes on December 11. Sometimes just whenever the day-drinking or end-of-year exhaustion finally catches up. The comforting part? You’re definitely not alone. 

Millions of Kiwis - and people all over the world - navigate the same end-of-year chaos. It’s the season of festies, family, sunburn - and apparently, heartbreak too.