Holiday Visitation
Holiday Visitation
The holidays can be challenging if you are recently divorced or still going through a divorce, especially when children are involved. Creating a clear holiday custody schedule can reduce conflict by establishing where children will spend important occasions, school breaks, and long weekends. A detailed holiday parenting schedule can also help each parent prepare for time apart from their children.
A parenting plan can alleviate tensions between co-parents and allow the children to enjoy the holiday.
Despite your feelings toward your ex-spouse or soon-to-be-ex-spouse, there are several reasons why both parents should work together to create and implement an effective holiday visitation schedule:
- A plan will ensure that both parents will have some time with the children over the holidays;
- The certainty of a plan will allow parents to make travel plans, if necessary;
- A plan will also give parents the ability to make arrangements for taking time off work or getting child care during the time the children will be out of school; and
- A predictable visitation schedule means the children will know what to expect and may be able to cope with the changes a little better.
What Should a Child Custody Holiday Schedule Address?
A comprehensive holiday schedule should identify which parent has the children, when each visitation period begins and ends, and where exchanges will occur. It may cover Thanksgiving, winter vacation, spring break, Memorial Day, Labor Day, religious observances, birthdays, and other occasions important to the family.
Parents should also address transportation, travel notice, communication during extended visits, and how the holiday parenting schedule affects the regular child custody arrangement. Because holiday time typically takes priority over the standard weekly schedule, clear terms can prevent conflicting interpretations.
In making an agreement, parents should consider that the prospect of spending time away from members of their family is not an easy one for children either. Parents should develop a child custody holiday schedule that supports their children's needs and gives both households meaningful opportunities to celebrate, to the extent possible. The arrangement does not always need to divide every holiday equally. Some families alternate holidays between even and odd numbered years, while others split longer school breaks. Consider the sample provisions below as a starting point.
Practice Pointer - Sample Holiday Visitation Schedule
In even-numbered years, the Father has Thanksgiving and the second week of Christmas Vacation/Winter Break (beginning at 2 p.m. on Christmas Day). The Mother has Easter/Spring Break and the first week of Christmas Vacation/Winter Break (ending at 2 p.m. on Christmas Day).
In odd-numbered years, the Father has Easter/Spring Break and the first week of Christmas Vacation/Winter Break (ending at 2 p.m. on Christmas Day). The Mother has Thanksgiving and the second week of Christmas Vacation/Winter Break (beginning at 2 p.m. on Christmas Day).
The Mother has Mother's Day every year, and the Father has Father's Day every year. Any holiday that falls on a Monday (i.e., Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, Memorial Day, Labor Day) will belong to the parent who has the children the preceding weekend.
Creating a Schedule That Works for Your Family
Every family’s routines, traditions, and travel needs are different. A Georgia child custody lawyer can help you create or revise a holiday schedule with clear exchange times, practical travel terms, and provisions tailored to your children’s best interests.