Christmas Contact for Separated and Divorced Parents

Posted onOctober 28, 2025

Many separated parents will have already finalised their Christmas contact schedule for 2025. If you are struggling to do so, our specialist Family Law Solicitors may be able to help.

Contact OTS Solicitors Today for Expert Family Law Legal Advice.

Talking about Christmas contact

Family law solicitors say that it is never too early to reach an agreement over Xmas contact. Some parents have an agreement that works for them every year. Typical Christmas contact schedules involve:

The children always spend Christmas Day with the parent they live with, but the other parent gets Christmas Eve and New Year's Eve.
The children spend alternate Christmases with each parent. The parent who does not get Christmas contact gets the children at Easter or another important date in the year, such as a half-term holiday. The arrangements are swapped around the following year.
Christmas Day is split, with the children spending time at both households, as both parents still live nearby.

A typical Christmas contact schedule may not work for your family, or your ex-partner may be unwilling to agree to any contact.

Changing Christmas arrangements

Not all parents can agree on the principles of Xmas contact. Alternatively, things may change, such as:

One parent may have a new partner and step-children or a new baby.
A parent may want to take the children on holiday over Christmas.
A parent may have moved house, making sharing Christmas Eve and Day a lot harder
One parent may have changed their job and may now be working shifts or having to work over Christmas.
A parent may unexpectedly not be able to book annual leave over the Christmas period.
A parent may have the opportunity to take the children overseas to spend time with extended family to find out more about their culture and heritage.
The children have said they do not like the Christmas contact arrangements. For example, children do not always like splitting the day between two parental homes because of the amount of travel involved.

The Christmas contact is for the children

As specialist Family Law Solicitors, we often hear the argument that Xmas contact should be prioritised for one parent for various reasons, including:

One set of grandparents wants to see the children and see it as their right, as they live some distance away and think they have grandparent rights.
Only one of the parents is of the Christian faith. However, the parent who does not celebrate Christmas will probably want to spend extra quality time with the children during a festival that is important to them and their family. Alternatively, the parent may argue that Christmas is a time for families, whether parents celebrate it as a religious festival or not, and that both parents should get to spend time with the children during the holiday season when the children are off school and some workplaces are closed or working shorter hours.

Agreeing to the Xmas contact

In an ideal world, parents will agree on the parenting arrangements for their children over the festive period without needing to consult a Family Law Solicitor.

If you can reach an agreement, keep a record of it, even if it is just an email or text. That way, if the other parent changes their mind, you have some evidence of what was agreed.

Child arrangement orders and Xmas contact

If you cannot agree on the Christmas contact plan or holiday plans, you may need to apply to court for a child arrangement order.

A child arrangement order sets out the living and contact arrangements for children after a parental separation or divorce. A family law judge will usually say that a child custody and contact order is only considered necessary if the two parents cannot reach an agreement on residence or contact, or on a specific issue, such as the precise Christmas schedule or drop-off point.

If you do not think that you will be able to reach an agreement over parenting plans or Christmas contact, it is best to speak to a Family Lawyer as soon as possible. The solicitor will advise you on whether they think your contact proposals are reasonable over the festive season and whether you would be likely to achieve the type of order you are seeking if you were to apply to the family court for a child arrangement order.

A specialist lawyer can also support you by providing legal advice during family mediation or by representing you in your child arrangement order application.

If you have not already done so, the first step is to discuss Christmas contact with your ex-partner to see whether your usual agreement will go ahead or, if you do not have one, to agree on a Christmas contact schedule that works for you and your children.

Contact OTS Solicitors Today for Expert Family Law Legal Advice.

Our lawyers speak Arabic, Armenian, Farsi, French/Mauritian Creole, Spanish, Tamil, Tagalog/Ilonggo, Urdu/Punjabi.

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