A Holiday Custody and Visitation Schedule Template

By Kevin Neade

When parents divorce or separate, they need to make a custody and visitation schedule that outlines the time the mother and father will have with the children. A very important aspect of this schedule is the holiday time. The parents need to make a good holiday schedule that shows where the child is spending every holiday. Here is a template for the holiday visitation schedule for how to do that.

The first step in making the holiday schedule is to decide what holidays to include. The mother and father need to compile a list of all of the holidays they want in their schedule. To do this, the parents should look at national, school, and religious holidays that they observe. Along with this, the mother and father should look at the holiday time they have off from work. This can impact which parent gets a particular holiday. The parents can include whatever holidays they want to from all of these categories.

The next step in the template is to write down the length of the holiday that will go into the schedule. Some holidays can last multiple days, or holidays can even last half of the day. This should be done in accordance with what is best for the child. For example, Thanksgiving weekend can be designated as a four day holiday with one parent, or a half day with each parent on Thanksgiving with the parents splitting the weekend.

Once the length of the holidays are determined, the parents should divide up the holiday time. Each parent should have about the same holiday time with the children. The holiday time takes precedence over the repeating cycle of custody and visitation. This means that if a parent is normally scheduled to have a weekend visitation with the child, but the other parent has the child for holiday time, the parent with the holiday time has the child.

The last thing in the template is how the parents will alternate holidays. Some parents make a new holiday schedule every year and change up the holidays that way. Other parents alternate the holidays back and forth every year. Figure out a system that works for the situation.

Following this template to make a holiday visitation schedule will help parents make a great addition to the custody and visitation schedule. Holidays are an important part of the child's life, and the schedule helps the child anticipate and celebrate them. It also allows the parents to enjoy the special time with their children.


Custody X Change is custody software that gives parents a complete child visitation schedule template to follow. With this template, they can make a thorough holiday custody schedule for their child.

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