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Winter Break
The longest break and the biggest holiday. Usually divided around Christmas Day so each parent shares part of it.
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Child Visitation / Holiday Schedules
Holiday Schedules · Virginia
So nobody is guessing in December.
Christmas, Thanksgiving, birthdays, and school breaks do not fit a normal weekend rotation. They need their own rules, written in advance, so the holidays stay about your child instead of a last-minute argument.
First call is a conversation, not a commitment.
The Short Answer
Holiday visitation is written into the order separately from the regular weekly schedule, and it usually alternates by year. Christmas, Thanksgiving, spring break, and birthdays each get their own rule. When a holiday lands on the other parent's normal weekend, the holiday schedule controls, and the regular rotation resumes afterward.
How It Works
The part of the plan that holds the memories.
The regular schedule handles ordinary weeks. The holiday schedule handles the days a child remembers for the rest of their life. That is why it deserves its own careful section, written long before the calendar gets there. A vague holiday clause is where the hardest December fights start, and those fights happen in front of the children.
Why holidays get their own rules
Holidays do not respect a weekend rotation. Thanksgiving moves. Christmas falls midweek some years. A birthday can land on any day. If the order simply says the regular schedule applies, somebody loses their child on the days that matter most. So we lift the holidays out and give each one a clear rule of its own.
How holidays are usually divided
There are a few common patterns. Many families alternate each holiday by year, so one parent has Thanksgiving in even years and the other in odd. Some split a single day, with a handoff in the early afternoon. And some holidays are simply fixed, Mother's Day with mom and Father's Day with dad, every year. The right blend depends on your family's traditions, not a template.
School breaks
Winter and spring break get special attention because they are long and they carry the biggest holidays. Winter break is often divided around Christmas Day, so each parent shares part of it. Spring break commonly alternates by year. Getting these in writing is what lets a parent book travel without a fight.
Holidays sit on top of everything
A good order says plainly that the holiday schedule overrides the regular weekend rotation. That way a parent's Christmas time is not quietly erased because it happened to fall on the other parent's weekend. Once the holiday period ends, the ordinary schedule simply picks back up where it left off.
Where it livesA separate section of the order, apart from the weekly schedule.
Common patternsAlternate by year, split the day, or fix certain holidays with one parent.
School breaksWinter break split around Christmas; spring break often alternates.
PriorityHoliday schedule overrides the regular weekend rotation.
SourceBest interests standard, Va. Code § 20-124.3.
Write It Before You Need It
The holiday clause you draft in calm times is the one that protects you in December. Vague holiday terms are where the worst fights start, and the children are usually watching when they happen.
Source: Va. Code § 20-124.3
Alisa Chunephisal, Esq.Founding Partner
Attorney Insight
A few honest things about holiday time.
"The holiday clause people skim over in June is the one they call me about in tears in December. Write it carefully while it is still calm."
Holidays produce more emergency calls than almost anything else in a parenting order, and nearly every one traces back to a clause that was too vague. Two words, as agreed, sound reasonable until two people cannot agree. I push clients to name every holiday, set exact times, assign even and odd years, and say plainly that the holiday schedule beats the weekly one. It feels like overkill in the summer. In December, it is the thing that lets your child have a calm holiday instead of watching their parents argue on the doorstep.
Questions Parents Ask
Plain answers about holiday schedules.
These are the questions parents ask most when we plan the holidays. If yours is not here, we are happy to answer it directly.
Have a specific question?
Call 571.260.0999 or send us a message.
How do holiday visitation schedules work in Virginia?
Holidays are written into the order separately from the regular weekly schedule, and they usually alternate by year. Christmas, Thanksgiving, spring break, and birthdays each get their own rule.
When a holiday lands on the other parent's normal weekend, the holiday schedule controls, and the regular rotation picks back up afterward.
Do holidays override the regular weekend schedule?
Usually, yes. A well written order says the holiday schedule takes priority over the ordinary weekend rotation, so a parent's holiday time is not lost just because it falls on the other parent's weekend. The regular schedule resumes once the holiday period ends.
How are holidays usually divided?
Common approaches are alternating each holiday by even and odd years, splitting a single day in half, or fixing certain holidays with one parent every year. Mother's Day with mom and Father's Day with dad are typical fixed assignments. The right mix depends on each family's traditions.
What happens with winter and spring break?
Longer breaks are often split in half or alternated by year. Winter break is frequently divided around Christmas Day so each parent shares part of the holiday, and spring break commonly alternates. Writing these out in advance is what keeps nobody guessing in December.
When You Are Ready
Let's settle the holidays before they arrive.
Tell us about your family's traditions and the days that matter most, and we will write a holiday schedule clear enough that nobody is guessing in December. Three offices across Northern Virginia, one phone number.