Christmas Arrangements for Children

Whilst Christmas is meant to be the “most wonderful time of the year”, with the background chaos that the festive period brings, perhaps you haven’t yet had the opportunity of agreeing with your ex-partner what time your children should spend with you both during this year’s Christmas holidays . Whilst every family has a different dynamic, most will want to spend a considerable amount of time sharing the holidays with family and friends.

In December 2020, many Christmas plans were postponed and families were not able to mix due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Furthermore, whilst the Government refrained from imposing similar measures in December 2021, the anticipation of further restrictions may have caused plans to change inadvertently. It may therefore be that arrangements which were once originally agreed have been disrupted over the last two years.

Christmas Eve and Christmas Day are often seen as the “holy grail”, but where children usually spend time between two parent’s homes, there’s no reason why they can’t enjoy two Christmases in both households and possibly, depending upon geography, on different days.

If there is no Child Arrangements Order in place determining the arrangements for you then, depending upon travel logistics and plans with wider family, hopefully you and your ex-partner can be practical and decide amicably upon how to share your children’s time with each of you over Christmas.

If this year’s Christmas arrangements haven’t yet been agreed, you might wish to consider : -

1. Communicating, cooperating and compromising with your ex-partner regarding arrangements.
2. Try and plan the arrangements with your ex-partner in good time and as early as possible.
3. Be child focused and envisage the holidays from your children’s perspective.
4. Allow yourselves a degree of flexibility whilst attempting to stick to agreements as much as possible. If plans do need to change, be sure to provide the other parent with as much notice as possible.

Christmas is fast approaching and so if you are struggling to agree your Christmas arrangements, please contact a member of our Family Team at either of our Warwickshire (01926 887700) or Leicestershire (01455 610747) offices for a consultation.