Today I’m going to talk to you about Holiday Access issues.

The countdown to the number of shopping days until Christmas has begun.

In addition to starting to plan for what gifts to buy friends and family, parents who have or are in the process of separating need to start thinking about holiday access issues.

For those parents that have a court order or separation agreement, now is the time to pull them out and read them over.

Which parent has the children when?

Have you requested the time off work so you can be with the children on your parenting days?

Have you met the deadline for advising the other parent that you will be going on vacation with the children during their Winter Break? Have you provided the other parent with the dates you will be away, the name of where you will be staying and contact information?

If you are travelling outside of Canada, do the children’s passports need to be renewed?

When does the other parent have to provide you with a notarized travel authorization allowing you to travel outside of Canada with the children?

As a parent that is considering separating or has yet to finalize custody and parenting issues, a lot of time and money can be spent on finalizing a holiday schedule.

Having your lawyers on the phone Christmas Eve trying to work out where the children will be Christmas Morning will only lead to resentment and result in a huge legal bill.

Whether you and the other parent are able to discuss issues in a rationale manner or not, now is the time to start making plans. If the other parent is being extremely unreasonable, it will give your lawyer the time you need to go to court to get any necessary court orders.

Working out the sharing of your children’s Winter Break now will allow you the time to finalize any plans such as confirming your reservation to take the children skiing. It will also give you time for you and your children to come up with new family traditions, such as opening presents on Christmas Eve.

If you would like to learn more about holiday access issues, you can visit our website. If you need legal advice about your own situation, please call us at 905-581-7222 for an initial consultation.

Happy Holidays from the Feldstein Family Law Group.