The regular school-year schedule in a parenting plan tends to run on autopilot. Exchanges happen on the same days, at the same times, and both households settle into a rhythm. Then the calendar turns to November, and suddenly the questions start. Who gets Thanksgiving this year? Does winter break start the day school lets out or the following Saturday? What happens to the regular weekend when a holiday falls on a Monday? Summer brings its own set of problems, with ten weeks of unstructured time, camps, vacations, and travel plans that can collide with a schedule designed around the school bell.
Holiday and summer provisions are where parenting plans most often break down. They are also where careful drafting makes the biggest difference. A schedule that is vague, incomplete, or built on assumptions that no longer fit the family can turn every holiday into a negotiation. A schedule that is specific, balanced, and realistic gives both parents and children something they can count on year after year.
How Florida Law Approaches Holiday and Summer Time-Sharing
Florida uses the terms “parental responsibility” and “time-sharing” rather than “custody” and “visitation.” When parents in Hillsborough County separate or divorce, the court requires a parenting plan that addresses how the children’s time will be divided, including holidays, school breaks, and summer. The plan can be negotiated by the parents and submitted for approval, or it can be established by the court after a hearing if the parents cannot agree.
Whatever form the plan takes, the court’s guiding standard is the best interests of the child. Florida law lists a number of factors judges weigh, including each parent’s demonstrated ability to facilitate a close relationship between the child and the other parent, each parent’s willingness to honor the time-sharing schedule, the child’s developmental stage and needs, and the stability of each home. Florida also now presumes that equal time-sharing is in a child’s best interests, though that presumption can be rebutted with evidence.
Florida’s Supreme Court-approved parenting plan forms include sections for holidays and school breaks, and many families start there. The forms are a useful framework, but they are not a substitute for thinking through the details of a specific family’s life. A Tampa custody lawyer will typically use those forms as a foundation and then build out the holiday and summer provisions so they reflect the actual school calendar, work schedules, travel plans, and the children’s ages.
Why the Holiday Schedule Overrides the Regular Schedule
One of the most important rules in any parenting plan is a clear statement of priority. Most well-drafted plans provide that the holiday schedule takes precedence over the regular time-sharing schedule, and that the summer schedule takes precedence over the regular schedule during the summer months. Without that language, parents may end up arguing over whether a parent’s regular weekend “counts” when it falls on a holiday assigned to the other parent.
A typical priority structure looks like this:
- Specific holidays (such as Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, or a child’s birthday) control first.
- School breaks (winter break, spring break, and summer) control next.
- The regular weekly schedule applies whenever no holiday or break provision is in effect.
The plan should also state what happens after the holiday ends. Does the regular schedule simply resume where it would have been, or does it restart in a particular sequence? The cleanest approach is usually to say that the regular schedule resumes as if the holiday had not occurred, so neither parent has to recalculate weekends for the rest of the year. Experienced family law attorneys in Tampa pay close attention to this resumption language because it prevents a single holiday from shifting the entire rotation.
Holiday Time-Sharing Models That Hold Up Over Time
There is no single holiday schedule that suits every family, but a handful of models have proven reliable. Many parenting plans combine two or more of these approaches.
Alternating Holidays by Year
The most common structure assigns each holiday to one parent in even-numbered years and to the other parent in odd-numbered years. For example, one parent has Thanksgiving in even years and the other parent has it in odd years. Christmas Day might run on the opposite rotation, so that each parent has one of the two major winter holidays every year.
Alternating schedules are easy to understand and easy to enforce. A parent can look at the calendar years in advance and know exactly where the children will be. The downside is that a child spends every other Thanksgiving apart from each parent, which some families find difficult, particularly with younger children.
Splitting the Holiday
Some parents prefer to divide the holiday itself. One parent might have the children from the morning until 2:00 p.m. on Thanksgiving, and the other parent from 2:00 p.m. until the next morning. On Christmas, one parent might have Christmas Eve through Christmas morning, with the other parent picking up at noon on Christmas Day.
Splitting the day works best when the parents live close to each other, which is often the case for families who both remain in the Tampa Bay area. It works less well when the parents live far apart, when extended family gatherings are held out of town, or when the parents have a high-conflict relationship that makes frequent exchanges stressful for the children.
Fixed Holiday Assignments
In some families, certain holidays matter much more to one parent than the other. A parent whose extended family hosts a large Fourth of July gathering every year may prefer to have that holiday every year in exchange for giving up a different holiday every year. Fixed assignments can reduce conflict because they reflect each family’s traditions, and they eliminate the need to track an alternating rotation for those specific days.
Fixed assignments should still be balanced. A judge reviewing a proposed parenting plan will look at whether the overall allocation of holidays is fair and whether it serves the children, not just whether the parents agreed.
Attaching Holidays to Weekends
Many school holidays fall on a Monday or Friday. Labor Day, Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Presidents’ Day, and Memorial Day are common examples. A practical approach is to attach those Monday holidays to the weekend that precedes them, so the parent who has that weekend simply keeps the children through Monday. This approach minimizes extra exchanges and keeps the regular schedule intact.
The plan should be explicit. “The parent exercising time-sharing on the weekend immediately preceding a Monday holiday shall have the children until Tuesday morning at the start of school” is far clearer than “Monday holidays follow the weekend.”
Building a Winter Break Schedule That Works
Winter break is often the most contested part of the holiday calendar because it combines several holidays with an extended period away from school. Hillsborough County Public Schools and many private schools in the area typically give students around two weeks off, though the exact dates change from year to year. Plans that tie winter break to specific calendar dates can create problems when the school calendar shifts.
A more durable approach defines winter break by reference to the child’s school calendar. For example, the plan might state that winter break begins the day after school releases for the break and ends the day before school resumes. That period can then be divided in several ways.
Splitting the break in half. One parent has the first half of winter break and the other has the second half, with the halves alternating each year. The midpoint is calculated from the actual school dates, and the plan should specify the exchange time on the midpoint day.
Separating Christmas from the rest of the break. Some families carve out Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as their own holiday period on an alternating rotation, then divide the remaining days of winter break evenly. This approach ensures each parent gets meaningful holiday time even in years when they do not have Christmas morning.
Alternating the entire break. For families where the parents live far apart, it may make more sense for one parent to have the full winter break in alternating years, with the other parent having a substantial share of the summer or spring break in exchange.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day also deserve attention. If the plan splits winter break in half, New Year’s will usually fall in the second half. Some parents prefer to treat New Year’s Eve as a separate holiday so that it alternates independently. A Tampa custody lawyer can help parents think through how these overlapping periods interact so there are no gaps or double assignments in the final plan.
Thanksgiving, Spring Break, and Other School Holidays
Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving break in Hillsborough County schools generally covers the full week, though that can vary. The parenting plan should clarify whether “Thanksgiving” means only Thursday, Wednesday evening through Sunday, or the entire school break. Each option has different implications. A full-week Thanksgiving assignment is closer to a vacation period, while a Thursday-only assignment functions more like a single-day holiday.
If the parents choose a longer Thanksgiving period, alternating by year usually works well. If they choose Thursday only, splitting the day is often realistic for parents who live near each other.
Spring Break
Spring break is a full week in most local school calendars and is often treated as a vacation block. Alternating spring break by year is common. Some plans assign spring break to the parent who does not have the children for the majority of the school year, giving that parent a full uninterrupted week. Others split it in half, though a single week is often too short to divide without making the exchanges feel rushed.
Teacher Planning Days and Early Release Days
These days are easy to overlook, but they can cause real friction when one parent works and the other assumes the working parent will arrange child care. The simplest solution is to state that non-holiday school closures follow the regular schedule, with the parent who would have the children that day responsible for their care. If one parent has more flexibility, the plan can give that parent a right of first refusal for those days.
Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Birthdays, and Special Occasions
Mother’s Day and Father’s Day are usually assigned to the respective parent every year, regardless of the regular schedule. The plan should state the hours, such as from 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., or from Saturday evening through Sunday evening. For families with same-sex parents, the plan can designate equivalent days or simply assign the holidays in a way that is fair to both parents.
Children’s birthdays raise different questions. Some families alternate the birthday itself, while others give the non-scheduled parent a few hours on the birthday or allow both parents to celebrate on separate days. Younger children often benefit from a predictable birthday arrangement, while teenagers may have their own preferences about how and where they want to celebrate.
Parents’ birthdays can also be included. A common provision gives each parent a few hours with the children on that parent’s birthday if it falls during the other parent’s time.
Other occasions that may warrant specific language include religious holidays, family reunions, weddings, and funerals. Flexible provisions that require reasonable advance notice and good-faith cooperation can cover these events without trying to list every possibility.
Summer Time-Sharing Schedules That Actually Work
Summer creates the largest block of unscheduled time in a child’s year. A parenting plan that treats summer the same as the school year may work for some families, but many parents want an opportunity for extended time, travel, and a different pace during those months.
Continuing the Regular Schedule
For very young children, or when both parents live close to each other and share time equally during the school year, keeping the regular schedule through the summer may be the best choice. Young children often do better with frequent contact with both parents, and a consistent schedule provides stability. The plan can still carve out vacation weeks for each parent.
Week-On, Week-Off
A week-on, week-off rotation is one of the most popular summer schedules for school-age children. Each parent has the children for a full week, with exchanges on the same day each week. This schedule gives each parent enough uninterrupted time to plan activities and short trips, while keeping the separation from either parent manageable.
Some families use week-on, week-off during the summer only and return to a different rotation, such as a 2-2-5-5 or 2-2-3 schedule, during the school year. The plan should clearly state when the summer schedule begins and ends, typically keyed to the last day and first day of school.
Extended Summer Blocks
When the parents live a significant distance apart, the parent who has fewer overnights during the school year often receives a larger share of the summer. This might mean four to six consecutive weeks, or most of the summer with a week or two reserved for the other parent. Long-distance parenting plans usually depend heavily on summer and school breaks to maintain a meaningful relationship between the child and the non-residential parent.
Extended blocks should account for the child’s age and development. Six straight weeks away from a primary home may be too long for a young child, while a teenager may be comfortable with a longer stay, though teenagers often have jobs, sports, and friendships that make long absences difficult.
Vacation Weeks Within the Summer Schedule
Regardless of the base summer schedule, many plans give each parent one or two designated vacation weeks. These weeks allow a parent to take the children out of town for a family trip without disrupting the other parent’s time. The plan should address:
- How much notice each parent must give before selecting vacation weeks
- What happens if both parents request the same week
- Whether vacation weeks can be taken consecutively
- Whether a vacation week can include a holiday assigned to the other parent, such as the Fourth of July
A common approach is to give one parent first choice of vacation weeks in even-numbered years and the other parent first choice in odd-numbered years, with a firm deadline for making selections, such as April 1 of each year.
Summer Camps and Activities
Camps, sports programs, and summer school can affect the schedule in ways parents do not always anticipate. The plan should address who decides on camps, how costs are divided, and whether a camp scheduled during one parent’s time can extend into the other parent’s time. Parents who share parental responsibility typically need to make significant decisions about the children together, and some summer programs may fall into that category. A Tampa custody lawyer can help draft language that clarifies which decisions require mutual agreement and which can be made by the parent who has the children at the time.
Drafting Details That Prevent Holiday Disputes
Many holiday disputes are not about the big picture. Parents often agree on who gets Thanksgiving. The disagreement comes from details nobody wrote down. Strong parenting plans address the following points directly.
Specific Start and End Times
“Christmas Day” can mean midnight to midnight, 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., or something else entirely. Every holiday period should include a specific start time and end time. When the holiday is tied to school, the plan can use school release and school start times as the boundaries.
Exchange Locations and Transportation
The plan should state where exchanges happen and who is responsible for transportation. Some families exchange at school whenever possible, which reduces direct contact between parents. Others use a neutral public location. For holiday exchanges that occur when school is not in session, a default location should be named.
Travel Notice and Itineraries
When a parent plans to travel with the children overnight or out of state, the plan should require advance notice and an itinerary that includes travel dates, destinations, lodging information, and a way to reach the children. International travel often calls for additional provisions, including passport custody, notarized consent requirements, and deadlines for providing travel documents.
Communication With the Other Parent
Children generally benefit from being able to speak with the other parent during extended holiday or summer periods. Many plans provide for reasonable phone or video calls at set times, such as every other day or on specific evenings. For major holidays, the plan might allow a brief call on the holiday itself so the child can share the day with the other parent.
Make-Up Time
Illness, travel delays, and weather can interfere with holiday time. Florida summers bring hurricane season, which can disrupt travel and exchanges in the Tampa area from June through November. The plan should explain whether missed holiday time is made up and, if so, how and when. Some families decide that missed holidays are not made up, because a holiday cannot truly be replaced on another day. Others allow a substitute period within a set timeframe.
Written Agreements to Deviate
Parents are often free to agree to changes, such as swapping holidays in a particular year. The plan should require that any agreed deviation be in writing, even if just by text message or a co-parenting app. A written record prevents later disagreements over what was actually agreed.
When a Parent Does Not Follow the Holiday Schedule
Even a well-drafted plan only works if both parents follow it. When one parent refuses to return the children after a holiday, withholds holiday time, or repeatedly changes plans at the last minute, Florida courts have tools to respond. Remedies can include ordering make-up time-sharing, requiring the noncompliant parent to pay the other parent’s attorney’s fees and costs, ordering parenting classes or family counseling, and in more serious cases, finding a parent in contempt or modifying the parenting plan.
Documentation matters. Parents dealing with ongoing violations should keep records of missed exchanges, communications, and any changes the other parent made without agreement. Co-parenting apps can be especially useful because they create time-stamped records that are difficult to dispute.
Timing also matters. Holiday disputes often arise with little notice, and court calendars in Hillsborough County can be busy, particularly in the weeks before major holidays. Parents who anticipate a problem should consult a child custody attorney in Tampa well before the holiday rather than waiting until the week of. In genuine emergencies involving a child’s safety, different procedures may apply, and a lawyer can explain the options.
Modifying Holiday and Summer Provisions
Families change. A schedule that worked for a toddler may not suit a middle schooler with weekend sports. A parent may relocate, remarry, or change jobs. Florida law allows a parenting plan to be modified when there has been a substantial and material change in circumstances and the modification is in the child’s best interests.
Parents who agree on a new holiday or summer schedule can often submit a modified parenting plan to the court for approval. When the parents disagree, the parent seeking the change will need to show that the legal standard is met. Relocation of more than 50 miles from the principal residence is governed by its own statutory requirements, and a move of that distance often requires reworking both the regular schedule and the holiday and summer schedule.
Because modification cases take time, parents who want a new arrangement in place for a particular holiday season or summer should begin the process months in advance. A Tampa custody lawyer can evaluate whether the circumstances support a modification and help structure a proposal that addresses the children’s current needs.
Planning Ahead Before the Next Holiday Season
The best time to address holiday and summer time-sharing is before the holiday arrives. A few practical steps can head off conflict:
- Review the parenting plan early. Read the holiday and summer provisions in September for the winter holidays and in February or March for summer. Note which parent has which holidays this year.
- Check the school calendar. Confirm the actual dates for Thanksgiving break, winter break, spring break, and the last day of school. Compare those dates to the definitions in the parenting plan.
- Communicate in writing. Confirm holiday arrangements, exchange times, and travel plans with the other parent through a written method well in advance.
- Meet notice deadlines. If the plan requires vacation selections or travel notice by a certain date, calendar those deadlines and comply with them.
- Identify gaps. If the plan does not address a situation that will come up this year, such as an out-of-state wedding or a new holiday tradition, try to reach a written agreement early or seek legal advice.
- Keep the children out of it. Children should not be asked to choose where they spend a holiday or be told about disputes between their parents. Courts consider each parent’s ability to shield children from conflict.
How a Tampa Custody Lawyer Can Help
Holiday and summer schedules may look straightforward on paper, but the details determine whether a parenting plan prevents disputes or creates them. Working with a Tampa custody lawyer offers several advantages for parents at every stage.
For parents going through a divorce or paternity case, an attorney can draft a parenting plan with clear, enforceable holiday and summer provisions tailored to the family’s schedule, traditions, and geography. That includes defining each holiday period precisely, coordinating with the school calendar, and building in priority rules that keep the regular schedule intact.
For parents with an existing plan that is not working, a family law attorney can review the current language, identify the gaps that are causing conflict, and evaluate whether a modification is appropriate. Sometimes a targeted change to the holiday or summer section resolves years of recurring disputes.
For parents facing a violation of the schedule, a Hillsborough County custody attorney can explain the enforcement options available, help gather documentation, and pursue remedies such as make-up time and fee awards when appropriate.
An experienced Tampa custody lawyer also understands how local judges in the Thirteenth Judicial Circuit approach time-sharing issues, how long it typically takes to get a hearing, and what kinds of provisions tend to be approved. That local knowledge helps parents set realistic expectations and make informed decisions about negotiation versus litigation.
Frequently Asked Questions About Holiday and Summer Time-Sharing in Tampa
Does the holiday schedule override the regular time-sharing schedule in Florida?
In most parenting plans, yes. Well-drafted plans state that holiday and school break provisions take priority over the regular weekly schedule. If your plan does not address priority clearly, a Tampa custody lawyer can review the language and explain how it is likely to be interpreted.
How is winter break usually divided in a Florida parenting plan?
Many families split winter break in half, with the halves alternating each year, and some separate Christmas Eve and Christmas Day as their own rotating holiday. The best approach depends on the distance between the parents’ homes, the children’s ages, and family traditions. Defining the break by reference to the school calendar helps the schedule stay accurate from year to year.
Can my ex take our children out of state during summer time-sharing?
That depends on the terms of your parenting plan. Many plans allow travel during a parent’s time-sharing as long as the parent provides advance notice and a detailed itinerary. International travel often requires additional consent and document provisions, and a relocation of more than 50 miles is a separate legal issue that requires following specific statutory procedures.
What should I do if the other parent refuses to follow the holiday schedule?
Keep detailed records of the missed time and communications, and avoid self-help measures such as withholding the children in return. Florida courts can order make-up time-sharing, award attorney’s fees, and impose other remedies when a parent does not honor the schedule. Speaking with a Tampa custody lawyer before the next holiday can help you understand your options and act in time.
Can we change the holiday schedule without going to court?
Parents can usually agree to swap or adjust specific holidays, and many plans allow this as long as the agreement is in writing. A permanent change to the holiday or summer schedule generally should be approved by the court through a modified parenting plan. Without court approval, the original plan remains the enforceable order if a disagreement arises later.
How much summer time does the non-residential parent usually get?
There is no fixed amount under Florida law. Parents who live near each other often use week-on, week-off or continue the regular schedule with added vacation weeks. When parents live far apart, the parent with fewer school-year overnights often receives an extended summer block, sometimes several consecutive weeks, depending on the child’s age and needs.
Do children get to decide where they spend holidays?
Children do not get the final say, but a court may consider the reasonable preference of a child who is mature enough to express one. A teenager’s wishes may carry more weight than a young child’s. Parents should avoid putting children in the position of choosing, since that can create stress for the child and may reflect poorly on a parent in court.
When should I talk to a lawyer about holiday time-sharing?
Ideally, several months before the holiday or summer break in question. Court calendars become crowded before major holidays, and modifications or enforcement actions take time to resolve. Early consultation gives you the best chance of having a clear, enforceable plan in place when the holiday arrives.
Speak With a Tampa Custody Lawyer Before the Next Holiday
Holidays and summer break should be times children look forward to, not sources of tension between their parents. A clear, thoughtfully drafted parenting plan gives both households certainty and lets children enjoy the season with each parent. Whether you are creating a parenting plan for the first time, dealing with a schedule that no longer fits your family, or facing a parent who will not follow the current order, a Tampa custody lawyer can help you understand your rights and build a holiday and summer time-sharing schedule that actually works.
Written by Damien McKinney, Founding Partner
Damien McKinney is the Founding Partner of The McKinney Law Group Family & Divorce Lawyers, bringing nearly two decades of experience to complex marital and family law matters. He is licensed in both Florida and North Carolina and has been repeatedly recognized as a Rising Star by Super Lawyers.