How Can My Ex and I Make a Holiday Schedule?
When you get a divorce and have to split parenting time with your ex, you need to establish a fair way to split up the holidays. It can be tough to figure out a fair arrangement, but don’t worry. Our Morristown child custody attorneys can tell you what you should think about when making a holiday schedule and what you can do to ensure that everyone is happy with the result.
What Should Influence the Holiday Schedule?
You obviously need to weigh a variety of factors when creating your holiday schedule. Some important considerations include:
- The age of your children
- Their schedules
- The work schedules of you and your ex
- The religious beliefs of you and your ex
- How close you live to your ex
- Whether your kids have any special needs that need to be addressed
Then you can figure out how your holidays should be split up.
How Can We Split Up Days on a Holiday Schedule?
There are a few approaches that you can take here. The first is to rotate some of the big holidays. If you get Easter this year, your ex gets it next year. They get Christmas one year and so you get it the next.
You could also decide to keep who gets what holiday fixed from year to year. Maybe you have a big family event on Christmas, but your ex gets together with their whole extended family on Thanksgiving. You can take Christmas and your ex can take Thanksgiving each year, allowing your kids to see their relatives.
There is another option that can work if you live close together. You can split the holiday with your ex and your kids can spend some time with each of you.
Can We All Spend the Holidays Together?
This is another possibility, but it can be rougher for some divorced couples. If you and your ex are on good terms and the arrangement seems to work, spending certain big holidays together can work out. It may even help your kids adjust as so many other things change. Their lives are different now, but you still have a full family gathering on Christmas and that can be comforting.
Can I Change a Holiday Schedule?
If you need to make adjustments to the schedule, we can help you do that through the mediation process. This is probably the most effective way to handle this. It can allow you and your ex to talk things through and make sure that you have decided on a holiday schedule that works well for not just you, but all of your kids.
What If My Spouse Won’t Cooperate With the Schedule?
You may need to take legal action if your spouse won’t cooperate with the holiday schedule you have set. Maybe it’s necessary to negotiate a change or modification. Hopefully, we’ll only need a judge to step in if agreements cannot be reached.
Schedule Your Consultation
If you have any questions about how to set up a holiday schedule or what you can do if you and your ex arrive at an impasse, contact Lazor Rantas, PC. Our experienced family law attorneys can help you find a deal that works for everyone.
