Divorce and separation often disrupt long-standing holiday traditions. It is challenging for parents to put aside their own feelings of loss to create new traditions for their children, or to continue former traditions. A well-written Parenting Plan provides consistency and predictability for both parents and children, and allows family members to focus on making memories.

Children benefit from having both parents actively involved in their life, especially during the holidays where family bonds are strengthened through celebrating traditions old and new. There are some common co-parenting plans you might consider in deciding what is best for you and your family:

One of the most common plans allows parents to alternate their time with the children each year. For example: in even years, Parent One would have the child during the Halloween and Christmas holiday celebrations, while Parent Two would have the child during the Thanksgiving and New Year celebrations, and vice versa.

Another common holiday arrangement is for parents to split the hours on each of the holidays with their children. As an example, Parent One may have the children from Wednesday after school to Thanksgiving Day at 2:00pm, then Parent Two would have parenting time from 2:00pm Thanksgiving Day until the following Friday. This arrangement allows for each parent to see their children for each holiday, but the transfers can be difficult if the parties wish to celebrate with family out of state.

Whatever the case may be, talking to an attorney prior to attending mediation or a hearing will allow a parent to consider what is best for their children in detail and receive advice as to what the possibilities are. Having an attorney help draft a co-parenting plan will help avoid unnecessary conflict post-divorce and can aid in a smoother holiday season. Attorneys Kathrine Lacey and Shawna Bentley are available to help.