Bells will be ringing. Hot cocoa will be pouring. Snow will be falling. It’s Christmas time. No one can argue that the holidays are one of the most enjoyable times of the year. But they can also be fraught with stress and panic and all the things we don’t want. And if you’re co-parenting, that’s par for the course every day – but nothing quite like the holidays.
The most important part is compromise. A good co-parent looks at trade-offs and understands that you won’t get everything you want. So let’s make the holidays a little more merry for you and your family by following some of these simple guidelines.
Talk to one another and make a plan – This sounds so simple right? But guess what? It’s becoming less and less common these days. We’d rather text, email, or do whatever it takes to avoid talking on the phone. But we highly recommend giving the other co-parent a call. After all, co-parenting begins with communication.
The even split – Christmas can be broken up into a single day. One parent gets the kids in the am and the other at night. Or one on Christmas eve and one on Christmas.
The week split – For those co-parenting who don’t live near the other co-parent, we recommend a week split. Children typically have several weeks off at Christmas, so now is the time to decide which week you get the kids.
The gifts – Coordinate on gift giving. Don’t make the mistake of not checking in to see who bought what and then, come Christmas, your kids are left with tons of the same present. Instead, create a list online or share a Google document. Or coordinate through SupportPay – we make calendars and coordination easier than ever.