Common ways to set up a holiday custody schedule
- Alternate by year. Thanksgiving, spring break or the whole of winter break goes to one parent in even years and the other in odd years. Easy to remember and fair over two years.
- Split the break. Winter break is cut in two, often with the exchange on Christmas Day at noon so both parents get part of the holiday. Choose "at a fixed date and time" and enter the exchange.
- Same parent every year. Mother's Day with mom and Father's Day with dad, usually 9 AM to 6 PM.
- Summer in blocks. Alternating weeks keep both parents in touch; two halves or two-week blocks make travel easier.
Example with the default dates: winter break from Friday, December 18, 2026 at 3 PM to Sunday, January 3, 2027 at 6 PM is 16 days and 3 hours. Half of that, 8 days and 1.5 hours, lands on Saturday, December 26 at 4:30 PM. Rounded to a 6 PM exchange, it is Saturday, December 26 at 6 PM.
Thanksgiving, Mother's Day and Father's Day dates
The calculator works these out itself: Thanksgiving is the fourth Thursday of November (November 26, 2026), Mother's Day the second Sunday of May (May 9, 2027) and Father's Day the third Sunday of June (June 20, 2027).
Questions
How are holidays usually split in a custody schedule?
A common pattern is to alternate each holiday by year: Thanksgiving with one parent in even years and the other in odd years. Winter break is often split in half, with the exchange on Christmas Day at noon or at the exact midpoint. Mother's Day and Father's Day usually go to the matching parent every year.
How do you split winter break in half?
Take the moment the break starts (school pickup on the last day) and the moment it ends (usually the evening before school starts), and divide the time by two. With the example dates, Friday, December 18 at 3 PM to Sunday, January 3 at 6 PM, the midpoint is Saturday, December 26 at 4:30 PM. If your plan says Christmas Day at noon, choose a fixed exchange time instead.
Which year counts as even for winter break?
Here the year the break starts decides: winter break 2026-2027 counts as an even year. If your order reads it the other way, use the swap button on that line.
Is this a legal document?
No. Your court order or signed parenting plan is what counts.
To see the whole year with your regular schedule, use the custody schedule calculator.