How Is Holiday Visitation Divided Between Parents in Texas?

 Posted on October 17, 2026 in Child Custody

Sharing holidays after a separation often means adjusting traditions and planning celebrations around time apart from your child. Knowing the schedule in advance helps you make plans without adding uncertainty to an already emotional season.

Texas’s standard possession (commonly known as visitation) order divides certain holidays between parents, with some alternating by year. Your signed court order determines the schedule that applies to your family. If you have questions about child visitation during the holidays in 2026, our Houston, TX family law attorneys will help you understand your parenting time.

How Does Holiday Visitation Change the Regular Texas Parenting Schedule?

Under Texas Family Code Section 153.314, the standard order’s holiday periods replace any weekend or Thursday visits that fall within them. For example, a Thursday evening visit does not take place if it falls during the other parent’s Thanksgiving period.

After the holiday period ends, parents return to the regular schedule. The interruption does not restart the weekend rotation or automatically create a makeup visit. This means one parent could have consecutive weekends because of the holiday's timing.

Which Parent Has Thanksgiving Visitation in Texas?

Under the standard schedule, the noncustodial parent has Thanksgiving in odd-numbered years. The custodial parent has that period in even-numbered years, including 2026.

Thanksgiving possession begins on the day school dismisses for the holiday and ends at 6 p.m. the following Sunday. The starting time is either school dismissal or 6 p.m., as specified in the order.

This is a block of parenting time, rather than a requirement to split Thanksgiving Day. Use your child’s school calendar to identify when the break begins before arranging travel or a family gathering.

How Is Christmas Break Divided Between Parents in Texas?

The standard order divides Christmas school vacation into two periods, with the exchange at noon on December 28. In even-numbered years, the noncustodial parent has the first period, beginning when school is dismissed for vacation or at 6 p.m. that day, depending on the order.

The custodial parent has the second period, from noon on December 28 until 6 p.m. the day before school resumes. The parents switch periods in odd-numbered years.

For 2026, that places Christmas Eve and Christmas Day within the noncustodial parent’s period. The standard schedule does not require an exchange between those two days.

How Are Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, and Birthdays Handled in Texas?

The standard order provides time for these occasions even when they fall outside a parent’s regular schedule. They are handled as follows:

• Mother’s Day: The mother has the designated Mother’s Day weekend.
• Father’s Day: The father has the designated Father’s Day weekend.
• The child’s birthday: The parent who does not already have possession receives a visit from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m., with responsibility for pickup and return.

Check the exact weekend exchange times in your order. Expanded possession provisions affect when Mother’s Day or Father’s Day visits begin or end. Keep in mind, a parent’s own birthday does not receive a separate visit under the standard schedule.

Does Every Holiday Have a Separate Visitation Schedule in Texas?

Not every holiday receives a separate allocation under the standard order. Holidays such as Easter, Halloween, and July Fourth do not automatically alternate between parents. Unless your order addresses them separately, they fall within the otherwise applicable parenting schedule.

Some Friday or Monday school holidays extend an assigned weekend. That extension does not create a separate holiday visit for whichever parent wants to celebrate that day.

Spring break has its own rules. When parents live 100 miles apart or less, the noncustodial parent receives spring break in even-numbered years. When they live more than 100 miles apart, that parent receives spring break every year under the standard schedule.

Can Texas Parents Agree to a Different Holiday Schedule?

According to Texas Family Code Section 153.311, parents following a standard possession order can agree in advance to different parenting times. If they do not agree, the schedule in the order applies.

Put any agreed change in writing, including pickup and return times. For example, if you exchange Thanksgiving periods to accommodate visiting relatives, confirm whether that change applies only this year.

Contact a Harris County, TX Child Visitation Lawyer

Holiday visitation questions can make it harder to plan celebrations with your child. At The Cusic Law Firm, P.C., our attorneys will explain your holiday schedule and help you address disagreements with clear, practical guidance.

Attorney Dessiray Cusic has been Board Certified in Family Law since 2014 and is also a certified mediator. Contact our Houston, TX child visitation attorneys or call 713-650-1866 today to schedule a free consultation.