Thanksgiving is three weeks away, and winter break follows close behind. For parents who live apart, that means one question comes up in a lot of homes across Greene, Monroe, Lawrence and Owen Counties: who has the kids this year? In many Indiana cases the answer comes from the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines, which set a default holiday schedule that alternates between the parents from year to year. Here is how that schedule works and how to avoid a holiday fight.
Start with your own court order
Before you look at any chart, read your order. Many Indiana orders adopt the Parenting Time Guidelines as written. Others change the holiday schedule, add holidays, or set different exchange times. Whatever your order says controls.
Two related points:
- The version of the Guidelines matters. Under the Guidelines’ own rules, an existing order is enforced under the version of the Guidelines that was in effect when your most recent parenting time order was issued. Later changes to the Guidelines don’t automatically change your order.
- The Guidelines use “custodial parent” and “noncustodial parent.” Generally, the custodial parent is the one the child lives with most of the time, and the noncustodial parent is the one exercising parenting time. If you share time equally, check your order for how holidays are divided.
Holidays come first
Under Section II.F of the Guidelines, the holiday schedule takes priority over the regular schedule and over extended (summer) parenting time.
- If you miss your regular weekend because it falls on the other parent’s holiday, that weekend is lost. It isn’t made up later.
- If a holiday gives you two weekends in a row, you get the third weekend too, and the regular alternating schedule continues from there.
The idea is that these swings balance out over the two-year rotation.
Thanksgiving
Under the Guidelines, Thanksgiving runs from 6:00 p.m. Wednesday to 6:00 p.m. Sunday. The noncustodial parent has Thanksgiving in even-numbered years, and the custodial parent has it in odd-numbered years.
2026 is an even year. If your order follows the Guidelines, that means the noncustodial parent has the children from 6:00 p.m. Wednesday, November 25 until 6:00 p.m. Sunday, November 29.
Christmas vacation
Christmas vacation is split in half, based on the school calendar:
- It starts on the last day of school, and the first half begins at 6:00 p.m. the day the child is released from school. The second half ends at 6:00 p.m. the day before school starts again.
- In even-numbered years, the custodial parent has the first half and the noncustodial parent has the second half. In odd-numbered years, it flips.
- If Christmas doesn’t fall in your half, you still have the child from noon to 9:00 p.m. on Christmas Day.
- Absent an agreement, no exchanges happen between 9:00 p.m. and 8:00 a.m.
- New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are not separate holidays under the Guidelines. They go with whichever half of the break they fall in.
Which school calendar counts?
Holiday dates follow the calendar of the school or academic program where the child is enrolled. If a child is three or older and not yet enrolled, the calendar of the school district where the child primarily lives controls. If the parents share parenting time equally, the Guidelines use the school calendar of the parent paying controlled expenses. The Guidelines also limit some holiday time for children under three, so check those provisions if you have a toddler.
The rest of the year at a glance
| Holiday | Time | Noncustodial parent has it in |
|---|---|---|
| Martin Luther King Day, Presidents’ Day (if school observes) | Fri 6 p.m. – Mon 6 p.m. | Even years |
| Memorial Day, Labor Day | Fri 6 p.m. – Mon 6 p.m. | Even years |
| Thanksgiving | Wed 6 p.m. – Sun 6 p.m. | Even years |
| Spring Break, Fall Break | 6 p.m. on release from school – 6 p.m. the day before school resumes | Odd years |
| Easter | Fri 6 p.m. – Sun 6 p.m. | Odd years |
| Fourth of July | July 3, 6 p.m. – July 5, 6 p.m. | Odd years |
| Halloween | 6 – 9 p.m., or local trick-or-treat hours | Odd years |
The custodial parent has each of these holidays in the opposite years. The Guidelines also include special days, like each parent’s birthday and the child’s birthday, and they ask parents to work religious holidays into the schedule when appropriate.
How to avoid a holiday fight
- Check the calendar now. Don’t wait until the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to figure out whose year it is. The Indiana courts offer a free online parenting time calendar tool at public.courts.in.gov/PTC.
- Confirm exchange details early. Time, place and who is driving. If travel is involved, share the plan ahead of time.
- Put agreed changes in writing. Parents can agree to trade holidays. But a swap made by text isn’t the same as a court order. If the change is meant to be permanent, it should be approved by the court.
- Don’t take matters into your own hands. If the other parent won’t follow the order, keeping the child past your time or refusing an exchange can hurt you later. Keep a record of what happened and get advice on your options.
- Keep the kids out of it. Holidays are stressful enough. Let the children enjoy the time they have with each parent.
Questions about holiday parenting time?
Sutton Law Office handles custody and parenting time matters in Greene, Monroe, Lawrence and Owen Counties. If you have questions about your order or need to change it, call 812-269-2641 to schedule a consultation.
This post is general information about Indiana law, not legal advice for your situation. Every case depends on its own facts and the terms of your court order.