December has always historically been a busy time of year for family lawyers and can be a stressful period for separated parents when considering arrangements during the festive period.
So what are the options?
When considering holidays and special occasions, inevitably both parents want to have their children wake up with them on Christmas Day and watch the excitement unfold as children unwrap their presents. If planned ahead, this may assist with co-parenting over the holiday periods.
If possible, the handover point could be Christmas Day or Boxing Day and the arrangements alternate each year, but this very much depends on when Christmas Day falls in relation to the school holidays and often holidays last beyond two weeks.
Another option is to alternate this part of the Christmas holidays so that a child wakes up with one parent and spends half the day with them before moving onto the other parent. This ensures the special day is shared. Alternatively, rather than moving about on Christmas Day, you may wish to consider alternating the days each year so that a child sees one parent on Christmas Day and the next on Boxing Day, to provide two fun filled days with presents and celebrations with each parent.
It is important to focus on making the whole holiday season a positive experience for the children, and whilst it can be tempting to do what suits you best as a parent, or what extended family members want, there is only a relatively limited amount of time your children will be young.
It is important to have conversations early enough about the arrangements for Christmas so that everyone is able to plan appropriately and your children are prepared for what will be happening, who they will see etc.
Whilst a court date may be costly and potentially impossible in the run up to Christmas, most mediators will still be operating and should be able to accommodate parents to deal with a specific issue such as Christmas arrangements.
If you are having discussions with your ex-partner about the Christmas holiday arrangements for your children, or need advice and guidance to go through your options, then we are always happy to assist. Please contact us on 01245 221 699 or email enquiries@ejcoombs.co.uk
