Christmas Traditions Can Make Your Parenting Agreement Easier!

Every family has its own special Christmas traditions. My family is a family of procrastinators, so our Christmas eve is spent tucked in our rooms, furiously wrapping all of our gifts. I have fond memories of rotating bedrooms, helping each family member wrap presents for my siblings, and strategically hiding all the presents of the sibling that was in my room when they came to help me out.

For some families, Christmas Eve is the day for opening presents, gathering with your family, and enjoying a big Christmas dinner. In my family, my dad’s birthday is on December 26th, so Boxing Day is actually a very important family reunion for us!

Now, you may be wondering what any of this has to do with your parenting agreement. The first few holidays that you have to share with your co-parent can definitely put you out of your holiday spirit. Of course, you’re never going to be fully happy about having to share your beautiful child with your co-parent during the most important holidays. However, something that can help when it comes down to splitting the holidays is to think about your own family and what specific traditions you have. If Christmas Eve isn’t a big deal to your family but is for your co-parent’s family, then it might make sense to divide Christmas that way. Consider which one is more important to you: Christmas morning, or Christmas dinner? Of course, you can always alternate times each year, but if you can negotiate a parenting agreement that lets you keep your Christmas traditions alive each year, this can make for an easier transition to your parenting agreement, especially if you’re used to have your child under your care all the time.