It’s Never Too Early: Addressing Holiday Plans with Your Co-Parent
As the holidays quickly approach, now is a great time to address and solidify holiday travel plans and parenting time schedules to minimize potential conflict before it's too late.
What is a Holiday Visitation Schedule?
When both co-parents want to spend time with their children over the holidays, it is important to create a holiday visitation schedule. This schedule, usually agreed upon by both parents, allocates parenting time with each parent during the holidays. There are various forms that these visitation schedules can take, such as alternating major holidays year to year or allowing for out-of-state travel during certain holidays. Courts will generally accept any schedule that both parents choose, so long as it is in the best interest of the child.
Why is a Holiday Visitation Schedule Important?
A holiday visitation schedule is important because it allows parents to make holiday plans, including out-of-town visits with family, when they know they will have parenting time with their children. The schedule also allows the children to know where they will be during the holidays. Additionally, because the parents know when and where their children will be during the holidays, it eliminates conflict between co-parents and last-minute schedule changes.
Holidays to Consider When Drafting a Holiday Visitation Schedule
When formulating a holiday visitation schedule, it is important to consider which holidays to observe. This could include major or religious holidays, as well as school break times surrounding those holidays, such as:
- Rosh Hashanah
- Yom Kippur
- Halloween
- Thanksgiving
- Hanukkah
- Christmas
- Kwanzaa
- New Years
It is also important to consider other special days, such as birthdays, extended school breaks and vacations with the children.
How to Come up with a Successful Holiday Visitation Schedule
In order to come up with a holiday visitation schedule that everyone can agree on, it is important to communicate with each other.
To take the conflict out of scheduling these days as they come up, parents must communicate well in advance so it can be approved, or adjudicated, by the court.
For assistance in drafting your holiday visitation schedule, contact our Kogut & Wilson attorneys.