2026 holiday custody schedule
The holiday dates for the 2026-27 season, how odd and even years decide who has each one, and four common splits you can open as a full-year calendar. Both parents can subscribe to the result. Free, no account.
Dates for: United States · United Kingdom · Canada · Australia
Holiday dates, 2026-27
The nights the calendar gives to the holiday. Under an alternating rule the first parent has even years (2026) and the second parent odd years (2027); you can flip that for any holiday.
| Holiday | Nights | Alternating: who has it |
|---|---|---|
| Halloween 2026 | Sat Oct 31 | first parent |
| Thanksgiving 2026 | Wed Nov 25 to Sat Nov 28 | first parent |
| Christmas Eve 2026 | Thu Dec 24 | first parent |
| Christmas Day 2026 | Fri Dec 25 | first parent |
| New Year's Eve 2026 | Thu Dec 31 | first parent |
| MLK Day weekend 2027 | Fri Jan 15 to Sun Jan 17 | second parent |
| Presidents' Day weekend 2027 | Fri Feb 12 to Sun Feb 14 | second parent |
| Easter weekend 2027 | Fri Mar 26 to Sun Mar 28 | second parent |
Thanksgiving covers Wednesday to Saturday night, Easter Friday to Sunday night, Monday holidays the Friday to Sunday nights before them. Holidays replace the regular rotation for those nights only.
Odd and even years
Most parenting plans alternate holidays by year: one parent has the holiday in even-numbered years, the other in odd-numbered years. Pair the big holidays the opposite way (Thanksgiving to one parent, Christmas to the other) and each parent has one of them every year. For a single day like Christmas, a split also works: Christmas Eve with one parent, Christmas Day with the other, swapping each year.
Four common holiday splits
Alternate each holiday by year (odd/even years)
The most common rule. One parent has Thanksgiving in even years and the other in odd years, and Christmas flips the other way, so each parent gets one of the two big holidays every year. Here Mom has Thanksgiving 2026 and Dad has Christmas 2026; in 2027 they swap.
Christmas Eve with one parent, Christmas Day with the other
Both parents see the children every Christmas. The parent with Christmas Eve this year has Christmas Day next year. In 2026 Mom has Christmas Eve (Thursday Dec 24) and Dad has Christmas Day (Friday Dec 25).
Winter break split in half
Each parent has half of the school break, and the halves swap every year. The sample uses Sat Dec 19 to Sat Jan 2; your district's dates are on its school calendar, and in Claude or ChatGPT you can give the exact dates.
Thanksgiving weekend, every other year
Thanksgiving 2026 is Thursday November 26. The calendar gives the whole weekend, Wed Nov 25 to Sat Nov 28 nights, to one parent and alternates it each year, on top of an alternating-weekends schedule.
Each of those opens as a full-year calendar you can print. On the calendar page press Print year and the season comes out as one landscape page, four months across, each parent in their own colour with the exchange days marked. That is the printable custody calendar that goes on the fridge or into a parenting plan, and your browser's print dialog can save the same page as a PDF. Nothing to download, no account, and you can print it again whenever the rotation changes.
Questions
When is Thanksgiving 2026?
Thursday November 26. A Thanksgiving weekend in the calendar runs Wed Nov 25 to Sat Nov 28 nights.
What about winter break?
School breaks differ by district, so give the calendar your dates as a span and choose split (half each, swapping each year) or alternate (the whole break, every other year).
Is there a printable 2026 holiday custody calendar?
Yes, and it is the same calendar. Open any split above, then press Print year: the year prints as one landscape page with four months across, each parent in their own colour and the exchange days marked. Print it again whenever the rotation changes.
Does the calendar keep alternating next year?
Yes. A subscribed calendar rolls forward and keeps swapping holidays by year.
Is this legal advice?
No. It lays out the schedule you describe. Your parenting plan or court order decides who has each holiday.
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