Friday, December 17, 2010

Divorce and the Holidays

Either you look back at the holidays with a sense of childhood wonder with dreams of sugar plums, or you look back at the holidays wishing you had a sense of childhood wonder with dreams of sugar plums. The best Christmas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa and/or Eid al-Adha centers around children. That does not mean the best X-Box, Wii or Playstation. It means togetherness, love and family.
Thus, the process of divorce can certainly have a negative impact on the holidays. That is why if possible it helps to work together. Even at the cost of personal bad feelings. It will not be lost on the children that their parents were able to put bad feelings aside for the holidays.
There are areas of compromise. Some families celebrate Christmas on Christmas Eve and others on Christmas. Thus, that can be a good dividing point for visitation. Also, the Christmas break is usually at least two weeks and covers four special days: Christmas, Christmas Eve, New Year's Day, and New Year's Eve. Hanukkah varies year to year based on the Jewish Calendar. That being said, you can determine when Hanukkah will be each year. Muslim holidays also use a lunar calendar and vary year to year. Also, over eight days under most visitation schedules the children will have at least a few days with each parent.
Last minute fights over holiday visitation do occur. Thus, most of the time a compromise can be reached. It is important not to let bad feelings associated with the divorce interfere with the children's holiday experience.
Love one another and have a great holiday from the Law Office of Scott Lerner.