In many ways, since the children are no longer at school, figuring out custody during the Christmas breaks can be hard for divorced parents. When you set up a custody schedule during the divorce, it likely addresses your normal daily or weekly schedules. But you also need to have a plan in place for what to do over the holidays.
This is when things can get to be rather contentious, especially if both parents aren’t on the same page. As a result, it’s wise to think about three of your main options.
Every other year
The first option is just to do holidays at a different parent’s house every other year. If this year is yours with the children, your ex gets the next year. This is perhaps the easiest way to set things up, but it can be frustrating for both parents and children because they will have to take years off from seeing one another.
Half of the day
Another option is to give half of the day to one parent and half of the day to the other. Christmas morning can go to your ex and you get the kids on Christmas Day, for instance. This is a good option if you live close together, but it can be problematic if you are far apart and a lot of travel would be required. It can also be stressful to have to adhere to this schedule during the holiday.
Celebrate together
Finally, you can certainly celebrate together if you believe that you and your ex will be able to get along and do so. Some children do prefer this, making it easy for them both to see both of their parents on the special day. It is often most important for the parents to decide if something like this would be possible for them.
Regardless of the schedule you choose, make sure that you know about all of your legal rights and parenting options
