Holiday Custody Schedules for Separated Parents
How to handle major US holidays in your parenting plan — practical scheduling examples for the holidays most likely to need their own rules.
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Thanksgiving Custody Schedules for Separated Parents
Thanksgiving is the most-disputed holiday in many parenting plans. Four-day weekend, travel, and multi-generational family dinners make it a pressure point. Here's how families actually split it.
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Christmas Custody Schedules After Divorce
Christmas is the holiday most separated parents argue about. The usual conflicts: Who gets Christmas morning? How do we handle Santa at two houses? What about the extended winter break?
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Spring Break Custody Schedules
Spring break gives each parent a realistic window for family travel. Most parenting plans alternate years rather than splitting the week — travel logistics make halves hard.
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Summer Custody Schedules for Separated Parents
Summer is the one time of year separated parents can meaningfully restructure custody. Blocks of 2-3 weeks become realistic; travel and camp require advance planning.
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Mother's Day and Father's Day Custody
Mother's Day with the mother, Father's Day with the father. Nearly universal across parenting plans. The only real decisions are pickup time and what happens when a parent is traveling.
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Easter and Spring Religious Holidays
Easter Sunday, Passover, and related spring religious holidays usually alternate years between co-parents. Plans should name the specific dates — 'Easter Sunday' is not the same as 'Easter weekend.'
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Halloween Custody Schedules
Halloween is a 2-4 hour evening event in most families. Most plans either alternate years for trick-or-treating or split the evening between parents who live close.
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New Year's Eve and Day Custody
New Year's Eve and New Year's Day usually alternate years together. Split arrangements (Eve with one parent, Day with the other) work for local families but are rare.
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