Co-parenting over the holidays is going to be different than doing it during the year. Scheduling changes as the children get a break from school, for instance. Plus, the holidays are fun family times where both you and your ex probably want to be involved.
However, figuring out how you can both be involved is a bit difficult. When there’s only one holiday, such as Christmas, how do you split up the time? Below are three options.
Take every other year
First of all, you and your ex could take every other year. If this is the first year and the children spend Christmas day with your ex, then this means that you’ll get to have them next year. This does make things easy, but it can be difficult for the parent who doesn’t have custody to not see their child at all.
Take half of the day
In order to make sure that both parents get to see the children, some couples will each take half of the day. The children may spend the night with you the day before Christmas and wake up at your house on Christmas morning, for instance. After lunch, you will bring them over to your ex’s house, where they will spend the rest of the day. The upside is obvious, but you also want to consider that this can make things more chaotic, and it means the children have to travel during a holiday.
Celebrating together
Finally, the two of you do have the option to celebrate the holiday together. This is often what children will prefer, but you and your ex are going to need to decide if it’s something that you can reasonably manage. Not all couples are able to do so, and it may be better for your children if you are apart.
As you consider your own situation, be sure you understand all of your parental rights, as well.