HOW DO COLORADO PARENTS SPLIT HOLIDAYS?
Colorado parents split holidays by writing a holiday schedule into their parenting plan. Colorado has no default holiday schedule; under C.R.S. 14-10-124, a parenting plan may include a practical parenting time schedule, including holidays and school vacations, and the court writes its own plan if none is submitted or approved.
Common approaches include alternating holidays by odd and even years, splitting the day, and assigning fixed holidays to each parent. The details matter more than the approach: start and end times, exchange locations, and which holidays override the regular schedule.
This guide covers the holiday section of Colorado's parenting plan form, what to spell out, and what to do if the other parent does not follow the schedule.
TABLE OF CONTENTS
- Holidays in a Colorado Parenting Plan
- Common Ways to Divide Holidays
- What to Define Precisely
- Military and Long-Distance Families
- When the Holiday Schedule Is Not Followed
- Changing the Holiday Schedule
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Talking With a Colorado Springs Family Law Attorney
- Sources
HOLIDAYS IN A COLORADO PARENTING PLAN
The Colorado Judicial Branch's Parenting Plan, JDF 1113 (revised December 18, 2025), covers holidays and special occasions in Section 12. The form says this schedule takes priority over the school-year and summer schedules (Sections 10 and 11) unless a holiday is left blank, so a blank holiday generally follows the regular schedule.
The form groups holidays into three lists, plus a line for other arrangements:
- School breaks and cultural holidays: Spring Break, Mother's Day, Father's Day, Halloween, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break Week 1, Winter Break Week 2, and the children's birthdays.
- State holidays: Memorial Day Weekend, Independence Day, and Labor Day Weekend.
- Religious and other holidays: Easter, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and blank rows for holidays your family observes.
For each holiday, you enter "Even Years," "Odd Years" or "All Years" for a parent, and for several holidays, including the long weekends, you check the specific days. The chart has no column for times or exchange arrangements, so those belong in the other-arrangements line or an added page.
The rest of the plan covers the regular schedule; our guide to Colorado parenting time schedules explains those choices, and our overview of Colorado custody laws covers the legal framework.
COMMON WAYS TO DIVIDE HOLIDAYS
You can combine these approaches. There is no statutory preference among them; the court looks at whether the plan serves the child.
| Approach | How it works | Things to consider |
|---|---|---|
| Odd and even years | One parent has a holiday in even years and the other in odd years, with holidays paired so each parent has a share every year. | Each parent spends that holiday apart from the child every other year. |
| Splitting the day | The holiday is divided at a set time, such as morning with one parent and afternoon and evening with the other. | Requires nearby homes and a mid-day exchange on a busy day. |
| Fixed holidays | The same parent has the same holiday every year, such as one parent every Fourth of July and the other every Halloween. | Fits families with different traditions; pair holidays of similar weight. |
| Splitting school breaks | Winter break is divided into two halves, and parents alternate which half they have. | Define exactly when each half starts and ends, since break dates change every year. |
| Observance-based | A religious or cultural holiday goes to the parent who observes it. | Use the form's blank rows and state the hours. |
WHAT TO DEFINE PRECISELY
A holiday schedule is only as good as its wording. When parenting time is contested, the statute requires the plan to be as specific as possible, and the same discipline helps agreed plans.
- Start and end times. "Thanksgiving" can mean Thursday morning, Wednesday after school, or the whole break. Write the exact day and hour each holiday begins and ends.
- Exchange location and transportation. Say where the exchange happens and who drives, especially on a split day.
- Which schedule controls. On JDF 1113, the holiday schedule overrides the regular and summer schedules. Also say whether the regular rotation simply resumes after a holiday or shifts to keep weekends even.
- Three-day weekends. Check the specific days on the form, and say whether a Monday holiday attaches to the weekend parent's time.
- Mother's Day and Father's Day. You might give each day to that parent every year or rotate them like other holidays. Whatever you choose, state the hours.
- Birthdays. Decide whether the child's birthday is a full holiday, a few hours with the other parent, or part of the regular schedule.
- School breaks and the governing calendar. Name the school or district whose calendar controls, because break dates differ between districts and between public, charter and private schools.
- Travel. JDF 1113 has the parents agree to share plans and contact information for overnight and out-of-state travel, and it lets the plan name a parent who may authorize the children's travel and prepare travel documents. While a case is pending, an automatic injunction under C.R.S. 14-10-123 or C.R.S. 14-10-107 bars taking the child out of Colorado without the other parent's consent or a court order.
- Travel days. Neither the statute nor the state parenting plan form says whether travel days count toward a parent's holiday time. If a holiday involves a long drive or a flight, write down whose time the travel comes out of.
- Calls and video on the holiday. The plan's phone contact section can give the other parent a set window to call or video chat.
MILITARY AND LONG-DISTANCE FAMILIES
When parents live far apart, a plan can give longer blocks of a break rather than single days, since a short holiday visit may not be practical. Spell out who pays for and accompanies travel, and how unaccompanied flights will be handled if the child is old enough.
Colorado Springs families also plan around military leave and deployments. Colorado's deployed parents law, C.R.S. Title 14, Article 13.7, allows a court, on the deploying parent's motion, to give caretaking authority to an adult family member, such as a grandparent, or another adult with a close and substantial relationship with the child, under C.R.S. 14-13.7-306, and limits that time to what the deploying parent had unless the other parent agrees. Our page on military divorce in Colorado Springs covers related issues.
WHEN THE HOLIDAY SCHEDULE IS NOT FOLLOWED
If the other parent keeps the child over your holiday, avoid a confrontation in front of the child. Write down what happened, save the messages, and then use the court process.
Under C.R.S. 14-10-129.5, either parent may file a verified motion alleging noncompliance with the parenting time order. Within 35 days the court must decide whether there has been, or is likely to be, substantial or continuing noncompliance, and then deny the motion, set a hearing, or order mediation.
If the court finds a violation after a hearing, it can order makeup parenting time of the same type and length, and the statute specifically includes holidays. Makeup time is generally due within six months, but if a holiday cannot be made up within six months it must be made up within one year, at a time the wronged parent chooses if that serves the child.
Other remedies include parenting classes or family counseling at the violating parent's expense, a bond, a civil fine of up to $100 per incident, and contempt. The court must also order a parent who failed to provide court-ordered parenting time to pay the other party's attorney fees and costs for the motion. If you believe the child is in danger rather than simply being kept, see our guide to emergency custody orders in Colorado.
CHANGING THE HOLIDAY SCHEDULE
Holiday needs change as children grow and families move. If you and the other parent agree on a new holiday schedule, the Judicial Branch's change parenting time page lists a stipulation (JDF 1423), a proposed order (JDF 1424) and a new parenting plan (JDF 1113). Once the court approves the stipulation and signs the order, the new schedule is enforceable like the old one.
If you do not agree, you can file a motion (JDF 1406). Under C.R.S. 14-10-129, the court may modify parenting time whenever the change would serve the child's best interests; a change to holidays alone does not usually change which parent the child lives with most of the time, so the stricter standards for that kind of change generally do not apply.
The Judicial Branch's list of fees shows $105 for a motion to modify filed more than 60 days after the order, as published in January 2025 and subject to change. In El Paso and Teller counties, a court hearing in a domestic case is generally preceded by mediation under a Fourth Judicial District blanket order. Our post-decree modifications page covers the process.
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
Is There a Default Holiday Schedule in Colorado?
No. Colorado law lets a parenting plan include holidays and school vacations but sets no default division, so parents agree on one or the court decides based on the child's best interests.
Does the Holiday Schedule Override the Regular Parenting Time Schedule?
On the Judicial Branch's parenting plan form, JDF 1113, yes: the holiday schedule takes priority over the school-year and summer schedules unless a holiday is left blank. A custom plan should say the same thing expressly.
What Happens to a Holiday That Is Not Listed in the Plan?
Under the form's wording, a holiday left blank follows the regular parenting time schedule. If a day matters to your family, list it.
Do Travel Days Count as Parenting Time?
Colorado statutes and the state parenting plan form do not address this. Your plan should say whose time travel days come out of, especially for long drives or flights.
Can We Trade Holidays Without Going Back to Court?
Parents can agree to swap a holiday, and putting the swap in writing helps avoid later disputes. The court order still controls if a disagreement arises, so a lasting change should be filed with the court as a stipulation.
TALKING WITH A COLORADO SPRINGS FAMILY LAW ATTORNEY
A clear holiday schedule makes each year's planning simpler. If you are writing a parenting plan, dealing with a holiday dispute, or want to change an old schedule, a lawyer can help you spell out the details and use the right process.
Moran, Allen & Associates Family Law Attorneys represents parents in El Paso and Teller counties. Call (719) 447-0762 in Colorado Springs or (719) 686-7554 for our Woodland Park family law office, or schedule a free consultation. You can also learn more about our child custody representation in Colorado Springs.
This article is general information about Colorado law as of October 2026 and is not legal advice. Laws and court procedures change, so speak with a licensed Colorado attorney about your own situation.
SOURCES
- C.R.S. 14-10-124, Best Interests of the Child (parenting plan contents)
- C.R.S. 14-10-129, Modification of Parenting Time
- C.R.S. 14-10-129.5, Disputes Concerning Parenting Time
- C.R.S. 14-10-123, Automatic Temporary Injunction in Parental Responsibilities Cases
- C.R.S. 14-10-107, Automatic Temporary Injunction in Dissolution Cases
- C.R.S. Title 14, Article 13.7, Uniform Deployed Parents Custody and Visitation Act
- C.R.S. 14-13.7-306, Grant of Caretaking or Decision-Making Authority to Nonparent
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Parenting Plan (JDF 1113), revised December 18, 2025
- Colorado Judicial Branch, Change Parenting Time (self-help)
- Colorado Judicial Branch, List of Fees
- Fourth Judicial District, Blanket Order to Alternative Dispute Resolution/Mediation in Domestic Cases (FCF 300A)