When you share custody of your children with the other parent, it can create some issues around the holidays. Deciding the visitation schedule can create hurt feelings or other problems that leave everyone feeling miserable.
To avoid these complications and to keep the holiday season happy, you should design an agreeable holiday schedule. It can help to involve everyone in making the decisions, even the children because it will ensure everyone is on the same page and knows what to expect.
Texas Access explains that the state has a suggestion for holiday visitation schedules. These suggestions can be a good starting point, or they may work nicely as-is for your family.
Thanksgiving
Because Thanksgiving is a single day holiday, you will probably not be able to both have the children on that day. The state’s suggestion is alternating years you have the children with one parent having them on odd years and the other having them on even years. However, your family may be able to work it out where one parent has the children for lunch ad the other for supper.
Christmas/Hannukah/New Year’s
The traditional holiday season brings to mind the two weeks encompassing Christmas and New Year’s. This may also include Hannukah or other holidays celebrated at this time of year among other religions.
Generally, children will have a winter break from school at this time, which allows for more creative visitation schedules. Again, the state recommends alternating based on even and odd years.
It suggests breaking the season into two parts: one for Christmas and one for New Year’s. Every year you each get the children for one part.
