Plan for changes in the school calendar around the holidays

With Christmas always on a different day of the week, school may let out with a lot of time before Christmas, or very little, or a balanced amount. Other than Christmas Eve and Christmas Day, or whatever two holiday observances you have, you can count on about 14 days of school vacation. If both parents want Winter Break parenting time aside from the holidays themselves, I suggest each parent taking seven days. In odd-numbered years, for example, Mom would get first choice of her seven days, and in even-numbered years, Dad would get to pick first.