Dividing Holidays and Special Days in Ontario Parenting Schedules

Holidays and special occasions are emotionally charged for everyone in a separated family. A well-drafted holiday parenting schedule reduces conflict, gives children something to look forward to, and lets both parents participate meaningfully in important celebrations. Getting this right — specifically and in writing — is one of the most practical things you can do in your parenting plan.

This article covers how Ontario families typically structure holiday parenting schedules, which events need explicit provisions, and tips for drafting language that holds up over years of real life.

Why Holiday Provisions Need to Be Explicit

The regular rotation that works fine on an ordinary Tuesday often breaks down over March Break, Christmas, or a child's birthday. Without specific holiday provisions, parents frequently find themselves in dispute about whether a statutory holiday "counts" as one parent's day or falls into a default schedule.

Courts and experienced family lawyers universally recommend that parenting agreements address holiday time specifically and separately from the regular schedule. The goal is that any parent reading the agreement on December 20th should be able to determine, without calling a lawyer, exactly when each child will be with each parent.

Categories of Special Time to Address

1. Ontario Statutory Holidays

Ontario's statutory holidays include (as of writing — verify the current list with the provincial government):

• New Year's Day
• Family Day
• Good Friday and/or Easter
• Victoria Day
• Canada Day
• Labour Day
• Thanksgiving
• Christmas Day and Boxing Day

A common approach is to alternate these holidays on an even/odd year basis. For example: Parent A has Thanksgiving in odd-numbered years; Parent B has it in even-numbered years. The pattern then reverses the following year.

2. Christmas and Winter Break

Christmas is the holiday that generates the most conflict and the most litigation when it is not clearly addressed. Typical approaches:

Option A — Split the break: The winter school break is divided in half. One parent has the first half (from the last day of school to, say, December 27), and the other has the second half (December 27 through the return to school). This alternates annually so each parent sometimes has Christmas Eve/Day and sometimes has New Year's.

Option B — Alternate full Christmas: Parent A has the children for the entire winter break in odd years; Parent B has them in even years. This gives each parent a full holiday experience but means one parent has no Christmas with the children in any given year.

Option C — Divide by day: Christmas Eve goes to one parent and Christmas Day goes to the other, switching annually. This works if the parents live close to each other and transitions can happen without long drives.

3. March Break and Summer Vacation

March Break is typically alternated annually or shared equally.

Summer vacation is often handled as a separate, extended-time block. Common approaches:

• Each parent has a defined number of uninterrupted weeks of vacation time in the summer (often 2–4 weeks)
• Parents must give advance notice of their proposed summer schedule by a specified date (often March 1 or April 1)
• The regular schedule resumes when school starts

4. Parents' Days and Children's Birthdays

• Mother's Day: The children are with the mother, regardless of whose regular parenting time it falls on.
• Father's Day: The children are with the father, regardless of whose regular parenting time it falls on.
• Children's birthdays: Many agreements give each parent a portion of the birthday (e.g., the child celebrates with each parent, with specific days carved out). Others simply alternate who has the actual birthday. The child should never feel caught in the middle on their own birthday — both parents marking it in some way is ideal.

5. Each Parent's Birthday

Some parents include a provision that each parent has parenting time on their own birthday, regardless of the regular schedule.

6. Grandparents and Extended Family Events

Weddings, milestone anniversaries, and family reunions do not fit into a regular schedule. A flexible, good-faith clause — "The parties agree to accommodate reasonable requests for parenting time adjustments for extended family events, with reasonable notice" — can handle these gracefully without opening the door to abuse.

Practical Drafting Tips

Priority rule: State clearly that holiday provisions take priority over the regular schedule. This prevents a parent from arguing that because it falls on their regular day, the holiday provision does not apply.

Exchange times: Specify exact times for holiday exchanges, not just "Christmas." "Parent A shall have the children from 12:00 noon on December 24 to 12:00 noon on December 27" is enforceable. "Parent A has Christmas" is not.

Transportation: State who is responsible for driving for holiday exchanges (often the parent beginning their parenting time does the pick-up, or the parent who is geographically closer to the other travels).

Make-up time: Include a provision for make-up parenting time if a holiday falls during the other parent's regular week, so neither parent loses overall time due to the holiday rotation.

Notification deadlines: Require that vacation plans be exchanged by a specific date. If one parent does not respond by the deadline, the other's proposed plan governs.

When the Holiday Schedule Breaks Down

If one parent refuses to follow the holiday schedule, the remedies are the same as for any denial of parenting time: documentation, communication, and if necessary, court enforcement. A holiday schedule that is explicitly set out in a court order can be enforced like any other parenting provision.

Frequently asked questions