Have you planned your holiday custody schedule yet?

Even though it may only be the end of September, it is not too soon to begin planning your holiday custody schedule. If you have not already done so, this is very important to avoid any disputes with your ex that could mar the holidays for your children (and everyone else).

Ideally, your Custody Order or Agreement should account for holiday time. This means the events themselves as well as any time off from school. There are many ways to split the holidays. Be creative and do what is best for your children.

Holiday custody schedules can be fraught with emotion because both parents want to spend the special times with their kids. But in divorced families, that is not possible. Some families achieve parity by rotating holidays, with Dad getting the kids for Thanksgiving one year and Mom getting them at Christmas and then rotating the next year.

In other families where some holidays may not be celebrated by one parent, it may be a little easier to do the trade-offs. There can also be room for negotiation to allow treasured family traditions to continue to be carried out.

There are many ways that holiday custody schedules can be managed, but there are two scenarios that should absolutely not play out. One is that no child should ever spend the bulk of their holiday in transit from one parent’s home to the other. That is no way to celebrate a holiday or to make memories.

The other situation to avoid is splitting up the children for the holidays so Dad gets to spend time with one and Mom with the other. While this might have to occur in blended families with step-siblings, every effort should be made to allow the kids to celebrate together.

If you are running into roadblocks trying to set up your holiday custody schedule, it may be time to loop in your family law attorney to help sort out the details.