4 Important Holiday Visitation Schedules to Know in New Mexico

If you’re a parent in Albuquerque, New Mexico, going through a divorce or separation, it’s important to be aware of the holiday visitation schedules.

These holiday schedules outline when each parent will have custody of the children during specific holidays. For instance, your Parenting Plan can specifically outline the visitation times for Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, and New Years.

Knowing these schedules ahead of time can help avoid conflict and unnecessary interactions between you and your ex.

Most importantly, having these important holiday visitation schedules outlined helps to ensure that both parents have quality time with their children during the holidays.

Here are the 4 important holiday visitation schedules to know in New Mexico.

CHRISTMAS & CHRISTMAS EVE

Christmas and Christmas Eve are without question the most important holidays.

Not having a well-defined Christmas schedule often leads to avoidable conflict and communications. This conflict can be especially disheartening when it happens during the “most wonderful time of the year.”

Fortunately, you can dodge Christmas stress and tension with a specific holiday schedule. Specifically, your Parenting Plan can include a holiday visitation schedule that clearly outlines how Christmas and Christmas Eve will be split between the two homes.

There isn’t one standard agreement. Instead, Christmas visitation schedules often depend on the unique home and circumstances.

For example, one household may give Christmas Eve greater importance than Christmas day. In other homes, Christmas day – especially morning may be the holy grail of the holiday season.

Consequently, even holiday visitation schedule can be uniquely tailored to your family and home.

With that said, there are three common Christmas visitation schedules. With most cases, the Christmas visitation schedules falls within one of these three examples.

THREE COMMON CHRISTMAS VISITATION SCHEDULES

First, the Christmas visitation schedule can potentially state that one parent has the child each year on Christmas Eve, while the other parent has the child on Christmas day.

Alternatively, the child may alternate spending Christmas Eve and Christmas Day each year. For instance, the child may spend Christmas Eve with Mother on even years, and Christmas Day with Mother on odd years.

Second, the parents may choose to split the first half and second half of winter break. In this respect, Mother may have the child for the first half of winter break for even years. Then, Mother has the child for the second half of winter break for odd years.

The first half can be defined as the day school lets out, including Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.

Third, the parents can alternate years that each parent has the child on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, for specific times.

For example, with even years Mother may have the child December 24^th at 2:00 PM, until December 25^th at 2:00 PM.

Under such a schedule, for odd years, Father would then have the child December 24^th at 2:00 PM, until December 25^th at 2:00 PM.

Ultimately, there is no right answer. In other words, your Parenting Plan can include any Christmas Holiday schedule, provided that both parents agree.

When parents do not agree, the court likely will choose one of the three examples above.

THANKSGIVING DAY

Are you going through a divorce or separation and want your Parenting Plan to include a clear Thanksgiving schedule?

If so, are you wondering what schedules the court generally uses?

Usually, parents choose between two Thanksgiving schedules.

First, the parents agree to split Thanksgiving Day each year. For example, the parents may agree that Thanksgiving Day will be split from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM, each year. However, Mother may have the 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM on even years – with Father having the early slot on odd years.

In other words, for even years, Mother would have the child for Thanksgiving Day from 9:00 AM to 2:00 PM. For even years, Father would then have the child from 2:00 PM forward.

Like Christmas, there is no perfect time. Consequently, your Thanksgiving Day schedule can have unique times that are based on your families and schedules.

Second, parents may choose to alternate years that the child spends Thanksgiving Day in each home. For instance, the child may spend Thanksgiving Day with Father on even years – and then Thanksgiving Day with Mother on odd years.

Those are the two most common ways that parents handle Thanksgiving holiday schedules. Nevertheless, the court will approve any schedule – provided that the parents mutually agree.

HALLOWEEN & NEW YEARS

Halloween and New Years take a distant third place to Christmas and Thanksgiving. Nevertheless, these two holidays tend to be crowd favorites.

With Halloween and New Years, parents usually agree to alternate years.

For instance, parents usually agree that one parent has the child on even years – with the other parent having the child on odd years.

Nonetheless, the court will adopt any agreement that the parents reach. In other words, your unique Parenting Plan can have a unique Halloween and New Year visitation schedule.

BIRTHDAYS AND MOTHER’S DAY/FATHER’S DAY

Birthdays and holidays are usually the fourth most important holidays to parents.

In most cases, a child’s birthday is usually alternated between parents. However, the parents can also agree to split the day down the middle.

On the other hand, Mother’s Day is usually spent with Mother. Moreover, Father’s Day is usually spent with Father.

Ideally, the Parenting Plan will clearly define the pickup and drop-off times. Clearly outlining the exchange times reduces potential interactions, and disagreements.

In other words, clearer visitation schedules usually reduce confusion and disagreement.

OTHER HOLIDAYS OR SPECIAL DAYS

Is a unique holiday important to your family? Possibly for cultural or religious reasons, one day may have specific importance within your family.

Your Parenting Plan is not limited to the four common holidays outlined above. Instead, your Parenting Plan can specifically address any day of the year.

Alternatively, your co-parenting relationship may be amicable and stress-free. In this situation, your Parenting Plan can have a generic statement that the parents will mutually decide how holiday timesharing is followed.

Moreover, your Parenting Plan may not mention holiday visitation at all. In this situation, the court usually infers that the parents will follow the normal visitation schedule throughout the year.

At times, a co-parenting relationship begins amicably and slowly deteriorates over time. When this happens, a vague Parenting Plan may work at the beginning. Nevertheless, as time passes, the parents may find that a clearly defined holiday visitation schedule is needed.

When this occurs, the parents can work together to reach an agreement outside of court. If so, the parents can file a stipulated order that updates the Parenting Plan.

In high conflict cases, either parent can file a Motion to Establish Holiday Visitation. In some situations, conflict may rise to such a degree that a restraining order of protection is pursued.