Tips For Stress Free Split Holidays and Co-Parenting
Moving through the holiday season post-divorce can appear daunting, especially while sharing those cherished moments on split holidays.
Our guide contains tips to develop a holiday schedule that respects everyone’s needs.
What You Need To Know
Talking early about holiday plans can help parents avoid misunderstandings and upset feelings. Making a clear schedule that includes all holidays is essential.
Parents can decide to take turns celebrating significant holidays with their kids, split the day, or alternate holidays each year to make sure everyone gets fair time without stress.
Creating new traditions after a divorce is critical for building happy memories. Families can start fresh activities or keep old ones that include both parents when possible.
Documenting agreed-upon holiday schedules helps prevent confusion and ensures that plans are followed. If issues arise, resolving them in court might be necessary.
Technology like video calls can keep families connected during celebrations if they cannot be together in person, making holidays happier for everyone involved.
Establishing Clear Communication
We at Moran, Allen & Associates Family Law know that talking early about holiday plans dramatically helps any co-parenting situation.
Agreeing on a schedule can keep things fair for everyone.
Early Discussions about Holiday Plans
Initiating conversations about holiday plans in advance can facilitate a smoother process. Scheduling discussions around significant holidays like Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, and Christmas Day is beneficial for effectively managing holidays between families.
This interaction assists in circumventing misunderstandings and upsetting feelings later. Both parties can explore methods to share the holidays after divorce, ensuring children savor quality moments with each side of the family.
Documenting these plans also proves advantageous. A well-defined holiday parenting schedule eliminates misinterpretations and specifies who can enjoy Thanksgiving Day or Christmas morning.
Make a mental note that travel days do not qualify as parental time. Establishing these agreements in advance deflects potential last-minute anxieties and maintains a joyful atmosphere during the celebrations.
Agreeing on a Fair Schedule
Both parents need to agree on a fair schedule.
This agreement includes talking early and deciding who spends time with the kids during major holidays like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
We help our clients come up with a plan that works for everyone. You can go to court if one ex-spouse doesn’t follow the schedule. The judge might give extra parenting time as a result. Our Moran, Allen & Associates Family Law team is here to guide you through this process.
Strategies for Dividing Holidays
Figuring out how to share holidays between one family and another can be challenging for divorced parents.
We have some innovative ways to make it easier. You can take turns celebrating significant events one year at a time or split the day so kids spend part of it with each parent. This process helps everyone enjoy special moments without stress.
Alternate Major Holidays Between Parents
One method is to take turns with significant holidays between the two parents. For example, one parent gets Thanksgiving this year, while the other celebrates Christmas with the children.
You should swap places the following year. This action helps prevent confusion and upset feelings by clarifying who gets time with the children during special occasions. Taking turns with holidays ensures parents enjoy big moments with their children without stress.
This approach also allows children to experience holiday traditions from both sides of their family over time. It’s an even-handed way to spread the happiness of each season and lets everyone build lasting memories without fearing they’re missing out.
Split the Holiday in Half If Geography Allows
People often choose to split holiday time between parents if they live nearby.
This procedure works well for days like Thanksgiving or Christmas.
For instance, kids can open presents in the morning at one family’s house and enjoy dinner with the other. While this lets children spend time with everyone in their extended family, it also means a lot of moving around, which some children might find tiring.
Such arrangements have led to beautiful family memories, but planning carefully is essential to prevent confusion and fatigue. Planning where and when each visit happens helps make the day enjoyable for all, especially for kids who may feel overwhelmed by the rush. Sharing holidays requires clear communication, but if managed properly, you can offer your children twice the celebration, spending part of their day in one home and part in another.
Rotate Holidays Annually
We support taking turns with significant holidays every year. This way, each parent gets to spend special days with the kids. This approach is fair and reduces confusion.
Switching holidays means it’s essential to plan. Parents can set their calendars early and ensure everyone knows their turn for each holiday, making planning trips and family events easier.
Creating New Traditions
Making new traditions, including your own holiday traditions, is critical after a divorce.
It’s a chance to start fun activities and make happy memories for everyone involved.
Introduce New Activities to Build Fresh Memories
Guiding families through changes after divorce means starting new traditions, including your own traditions, is essential. These activities could be simple, like watching movies together or exploring a new trail with the kids every holiday season. It’s all about making those moments feel special and unique to your family.
Including activities that reflect both parents’ interests in these new traditions is also good. For example, if one parent enjoys cooking and the other loves outdoor adventures, you can mix these into your holiday plans. You might prepare a meal together for Thanksgiving and go on a nature trip for Labor Day weekend, creating experiences your children will look forward to each year.
Include Both Parents in Some Traditions When Possible
Keeping some traditions alive with parents and their respective families can be good. If the split was friendly, including new partners is okay too. For example, you could have Thanksgiving dinner at one family’s house this year and switch the next year to keep it fair.
If both families celebrate Christmas, think about opening presents together in the morning at one parent’s home and then having lunch or dinner with the other parent. Adding grandparents and extended family members can make these moments even better for everyone. Creating shared memories during holidays helps children feel close to both parents.
This celebration isn’t just about being together physically; technology can help when distance complicates things. A video call lets everyone share the moment or open gifts, so no one feels left out on special days. This action shows the children that even though their family has changed, they still have a robust support system, making holidays happier and less stressful.
Conclusion
We at Moran, Allen & Associates Family Law know how tricky holidays can be after a divorce.
We’ve shared tips to make co-parenting smoother, including talking early, making fair plans, and creating new traditions.
We aim to help you and your ex-partner find peace during these times. Contact us for more advice or help with your holiday co-parenting plan. Let’s work together for a stress-free holiday season.
FAQs
Expert-backed strategies include:
Creating a designated split holiday schedule.
Alternating holidays between the two families.
Even spending time with your own family and traditions on different days.
You could alternate one holiday with your former spouse’s family and spend another at home. This way, you can keep memories tied to existing traditions while building new ones with your family.
Absolutely! If parents live far apart or have other constraints, a digital celebration is a beautiful way to stay united as a family unit without any guilt trip involved.
You can spend Thanksgiving Day with one set of parents and then Christmas Eve with the families that typically observe this occasion.
In cases where only one side of the former whole group observes specific festivities, consult a relationship coach who can provide actionable guidance on navigating these unique situations without confusing children.
Remember that everyone in both families cares about having a wonderful time together, so focusing on making new positive memories rather than dwelling on past ones could prove helpful.
