How does holiday time usually work with a regular custody schedule?

Most parenting plans have holidays override the regular rotation. Whoever the schedule says has the kids on, say, Thanksgiving Day, holiday rules take priority for that day, then the regular pattern picks back up.

Should Christmas Eve and Christmas Day go to the same parent?

Families split this both ways. Some keep the two days together with one parent and swap who gets them each year (that's the default "split" rule here). Others give the whole break, school out to New Year, to one parent and alternate the entire block yearly instead.

What about Mother's Day and Father's Day?

These are commonly fixed to that parent every year rather than alternating, regardless of whose regular parenting time it falls on. That's the default here, though you can change it per family.

Can I plan more than one year ahead?

Yes, switch the year selector to preview up to three years out with the same rules applied.

Free tool

Holiday Schedule Generator

Every major US holiday, with a sensible default rule you can override, so the plan for this year (and next) is settled before the holiday itself is.

Parent A

Parent B

Year

Each holiday defaults to a common rule. Change any of them on the right to match your agreement.

New Year's Day

Thu, Jan 1, 2026

Parent A

Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Mon, Jan 19, 2026

Parent B

Presidents' Day

Mon, Feb 16, 2026

Parent A

Easter Sunday

Sun, Apr 5, 2026

Parent B

Mother's Day

Sun, May 10, 2026

Commonly fixed to whichever parent is Mom, every year.

Parent A

Memorial Day

Mon, May 25, 2026

Parent A

Father's Day

Sun, Jun 21, 2026

Commonly fixed to whichever parent is Dad, every year.

Parent B

Juneteenth

Fri, Jun 19, 2026

Parent B

Independence Day

Sat, Jul 4, 2026

Parent A

Labor Day

Mon, Sep 7, 2026

Parent B

Halloween

Sat, Oct 31, 2026

Parent A

Thanksgiving Day

Thu, Nov 26, 2026

Parent B

Christmas Eve

Thu, Dec 24, 2026

Often paired with Christmas Day so each parent gets one, swapping who gets which every year.

Parent A

Christmas Day

Fri, Dec 25, 2026

Parent A

New Year's Eve

Thu, Dec 31, 2026

Parent B

Why plan this early

Settle it before it's urgent

Holiday schedules cause a disproportionate share of co-parenting conflict, mostly because they get discussed for the first time a week before the holiday, when everyone's already stressed. Deciding the rule once, for every holiday, at a calm moment removes that yearly renegotiation entirely.

FAQ

Questions, answered

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Holiday Schedule Generator

Settle it before it's urgent

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