The holiday season is approaching, and it can be very fun for children and parents alike. However, for divorced co-parents, it sometimes necessitates changes to the typical custody schedule. For example, when many couples get divorced, they settle on a fairly simple custody exchange, such as an every-other-week arrangement. This can make it easy to manage custody transitions, especially if the parents exchange custody every Friday, so the parent taking over just picks up the children when school ends for the week.
The holidays are different since there is a break from school. Here are a few options for how you may want to alter the custody schedule during this time.
Alternating holidays
One of the easiest ways to do this is to alternate between even and odd years. You may get the children on Christmas one year, for instance, while your ex gets them on Thanksgiving, and then you switch the following year.
Joint holiday celebrations
If you and your ex are on good terms, you may be able to have a joint holiday celebration at one of your homes. If you would normally have custody of the children on Christmas, your ex can simply come and spend the day with all of you, so the custody schedule itself does not have to change.
Dividing each day
Finally, some parents choose to split each holiday in half. On Christmas, if you already have custody of the children, they may spend the morning with you and then go see your ex for the afternoon. This way, you both see the children on the holiday, even if not for the entire day.
These are just a few examples, but the key is to recognize that changes sometimes happen around the holidays and that it is important to understand all of your legal rights and options at this time.