Skip to content

Holiday Parenting Time Schedules

What holidays do you celebrate and how do you enjoy them?  Your answer to this question has been influenced by your family, your culture, your spiritual beliefs, and your priorities – your answer to this question is as unique as you are, and the holiday parenting time schedule should be crafted with you and your children in mind. Our Fort Collins child custody attorneys can assist with crafting a holiday parenting time schedule to meet the needs of everyone involved.

Holiday traditions are beloved and celebrated by many families, and sharing your children with their other parent can be challenging around the holidays; however, with a holiday parenting time schedule that is crafted by a skilled attorney, the challenges can be reduced or avoided altogether to allow the parents and children the clarity and flexibility needed to meet the parent’s goals.

Most parenting plans contain a holiday parenting time schedule that supersedes regular parenting time and vacation parenting time.  The holiday schedule that will work best for you and your children will depend on the regular parenting time schedule that is selected, as regular parenting time can have designated days of the week while other parenting plans do not have the same days of the week with each parent each week.

Holidays that occur on the same day of the week are easy to plan for; it is a safe bet most people are going to overeat on the last Thursday in November.  Memorial and Labor Day always fall on a Monday, just as Thanksgiving always falls on a Thursday.

Federally recognized holidays include: New Year’s Day, MLK, Inauguration Day (every four years), Washington’s Birthday (f/k/a President’s Day), Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Columbus Day, Veterans Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.

Suggestions for Select Holidays

Mother’s Day and Father’s Day - while these holidays are some of the easiest to designate in many cases, blended families can encounter some challenges when designating these holidays.  Designating the entire weekend or just the Sunday are options to be considered.

Thanksgiving – it isn’t really just the Thursday for some families, don’t forget about Black Friday.  It is common for family members to travel around Thanksgiving, and for this reason, some parents wish to alternate Thanksgiving as a block of several days to celebrate this holiday over several days.

Christmas – it is more than just the day: Winter break from school, Christmas Eve, and the day after Christmas should also be considered when determining an appropriate holiday schedule.  Some parents wish to share parenting time on Christmas day itself, while other parents enjoy alternating Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  Some parents wish to divide the winter break evenly, while other parents prefer to just carve out time for Christmas and follow the regular parenting time schedule.  Many parents want to have the opportunity to travel with their children around Christmas to visit family and friends, but a poorly drafted holiday schedule could make such travel impossible.

Memorial and Labor Day – some of the best Mondays of the year!  While veterans and union workers may have a strong preference to share these days with their children, many parents enjoy them both equally.  While alternating these holidays each year is common, some parents prefer to always share the same holiday with their children every year for planning purposes.

Birthdays – not just your child(ren)’s, but yours as well as anyone else who you would want your child to celebrate with (think about your parents and how much they love their grandchildren).


Top Child Custody Related Pages at Cossitt Law Firm

Parenting time schedule

Emergency Child Custody & Endangerment


Colorado offers a method for immediate relief when a child is at imminent risk of physical or emotional harm by a parent. The court can act immediately to suspend all unsupervised with the parent allegedly putting the child at risk and place them under emergency child custody with a legal guardian.

Read More
Divorce couple reviewing parenting plan

Parenting Plan



As all families are unique, one form of parenting plan will not meet the needs of every family. The best parenting plan will be well developed and custom tailored to the individuals involved. Some parenting plans incorporate terms that will apply far into the future, as when a child emancipates into adulthood.
Read More
Girl hugging mom after being dropped off at dad's house

Modification of Child Custody


As life changes, child custody orders may no longer fit your needs or circumstances. When this occurs, seeking a child custody modification can be necessary to officially change court orders related to parenting time and/or decision-making responsibilities.

Read More

Parenting Time Articles

Son & Father playing together during a visitation.

Guide to Parenting Time


Formerly known as child visitation, Parenting Time outlines the schedule and conditions under which each parent may see their children

Read More
Holiday Parenting Time

Holiday Parenting Time


What holidays do you celebrate and how do you enjoy them? We can assist with crafting a holiday parenting time schedule to meet the needs of everyone involved.
Read More
Parenting time schedule

Parenting Time Schedules


Every child custody case will have a parenting plan that details the schedule so each parent may enjoy parenting time with their child. The schedule is commonly broken into three categories.
Read More
Parenting via an iPad

Long Distance Parentings


When parents relocate away from one another, the schedule should be molded to the accommodate logistics, travel costs, and the quality time between parents and children.
Read More

Testimonials

  • "I am very appreciative of Toms services. English is a second language to me, and this process seemed difficult because of that barrier. He was very patient and thorough making sure I understood everything before he proceeded. I will recommend him to everyone! He truly cares about you, as does his wonderful, helpful team"

    Abigail
    Review from AVVO

  • "I had a very challenging case, one that could have had indefinite financial consequences. Tom Cossitt evaluated my case and identified several strategies for moving forward. I chose one and Tom developed and implemented that strategy with speed and with the utmost in professionalism. The documents he drafted on my behalf, based on extensive research and case law / precedent were thorough and comprehensive. When the Court ruled, it used the arguments as developed by Tom Cossitt verbatim in its decision, and the case was decided in my favor. Needless to say, I was pleased beyond words. Based on my experience and the outcome of my case, I would highly recommend Tom Cossitt to anyone requiring the services of a family law attorney."

    Dan
    Review from Google

  • "I met with as many as 10 different attorneys before coming across Thomas. After our initial consultation, I was very pleased with his knowledge and realistic expectations. During the really tough time, Thomas kept me calm and helped tremendously to get custody of my daughter. He kept me informed on what was going on and would ask for my input; if it was something that was unrealistic or could be done a different way, Thomas would tell me right away. During the hearings, he was amazing. He kept a professional attitude and was great at cross examinations. He took in all of the facts and evidence, and was able to present them efficiently and effectively. Ultimately helping me gain custody of my child."

    Mitchell
    Review from AVVO

The Cossitt Difference: Fort Collins Divorce Attorneys That Care

AFCC Colorado Logo
Law Week Colorado Logo
Colorado Bar Assocation Logo
Fort Collins Chamber Logo
Super Lawyers Logo
Lead Counsel Verified Logo
Avvo Client's Choice Logo
Expertise Logo

Schedule a Consultation with one of our Fort Collins Family Law Attorneys

(970) 488-1887
linkedin facebook pinterest youtube rss twitter instagram facebook-blank rss-blank linkedin-blank pinterest youtube twitter instagram