Holiday Parenting Time 2025:
Navigating Indiana’s Parenting Time Guidelines
The holidays can bring both joy and tension for co-parents. This guide breaks down Indiana’s 2025 Parenting Time Guidelines and offers ways to make the season smoother.
Holidays are often a source of stress for divorced or separated families. While parents want to create joyful traditions, disputes over parenting time can derail the season. This posting addresses Holiday Parenting Time under the current Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines (IPTG).
Holiday Parenting Time Basics
The IPTG holiday provisions operate on a few important principles. First, holiday time takes priority. Holidays override the regular parenting time schedule. If a parent misses parenting time because of a holiday, that time is lost. Second, the Holidays alternate by year between the custodial parent (the parent who lives with the child and has primary day-to-day responsibility for the care of the child) and the noncustodial parent. Lastly, the school district calendars control. In other words, for school-aged children, the school district academic calendar determines when breaks begin and end.
To provide an example of how to interpret the IPTG, we have applied the IPTG to the academic calendar of the Carmel Clay School District below. Academic calendars vary by school district, so it is important to review the calendar specific to your child’s school to ensure you have the most accurate information.
2025 – 2026 Holiday Schedule Under the Indiana Parenting Time Guidelines
Interpreting the IPTG without a thorough understanding of the relevant legal terminology can be a difficult task. To make things less confusing, let’s use an example to demonstrate how the IPTG operates:
In this example, John and Jane have children together. John has parenting time on Wednesday nights and every other weekend, and the children are with Jane the rest of the time. This means Jane is the custodial parent and John is the noncustodial parent. Their children attend school in the Carmel Clay school district. Here’s how they’ll divide their holiday parenting time this school year, since 2025 is an odd-numbered year, and 2026 is an even-numbered year:
• Labor Day: Friday, August 29, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, September 1, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. – with Jane (custodial parent).
• Fall Break: Friday, October 3, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. through Sunday, October 12, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. – with John (noncustodial parent).
• Halloween: Friday, October 31, 2025 from 6:00–9:00 p.m., or local trick-or-treat hours – with John (noncustodial parent).
• Thanksgiving: Wednesday, November 26, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. through Sunday, November 30, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. – with Jane (custodial parent).
o Notice that even though John typically has parenting time on Wednesday nights, the children are with Jane on Wednesday, November 26th because the holiday schedule takes priority over the normal parenting schedule.
• Christmas / Winter Break: Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. through Sunday, January 4, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. Each parent will have the children for ½ of Winter Break. When Christmas does not fall within a parent’s ½ of Winter Break, that parent will have the children from Noon to 9:00 p.m. on Christmas Day.
o With John (noncustodial parent) from Thursday, December 18, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. until Thursday, December 25, 2025 at 12:00 p.m.
o With Jane (custodial parent) from 12:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 25, 2025
o With John (noncustodial parent) from Thursday, December 25, 2025 at 9:00 p.m. until Saturday, December 27, 2025 at 6:00 p.m.
o With Jane (custodial parent) from Saturday, December 27, 2025 at 6:00 p.m. until Sunday, January 4, 2026 at 6:00 p.m.
▪ Note: New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day are not considered separate from Winter Break under the IPTG.
• Martin Luther King, Jr. Day: Friday, January 16, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, January 19, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. – with John (noncustodial parent).
• President’s Day: Friday, February 13, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. through Monday, February 16, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. – with John (noncustodial parent).
• Spring Break: Friday, April 3, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. through Sunday, April 12, 2026 at 6:00 p.m. – with Jane (custodial parent).
o Notice that the children were with John for Fall Break this school year, and the children are with Jane for Spring Break this school year
The IPTG holiday schedule also includes rules regarding:
• Holidays that aren’t typically included on academic calendars – either because the holiday isn’t observed by the school, or because the date of the holiday doesn’t typically fall within the school year – such as Easter, Memorial Day, and Independence Day (Fourth of July).
• Special Days, which are Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, children’s birthdays, and parents’ birthdays.
FOUR Tips for Holiday Parenting Time for Indiana Families
1. Plan ahead and map the full school year. Overlay the IPTG holiday schedule with your school calendar and communicate with the other parent about the plan as early as possible to avoid disputes about sharing the holidays during the holiday season. If a hearing is needed to determine how to divide holiday parenting time, it is far better to request a hearing well in advance, as the courts’ schedules are especially busy during the weeks and months leading up to the holiday season.
2. Be clear on exchange times and locations. The last thing you want to do is assume, and then discover at the last minute that your assumption was wrong. IPTG defaults to 6:00 p.m. unless you agree otherwise.
3. Work together with the other parent to plan a schedule that works for your family. Stay flexible regarding the holiday schedule and exchange times, if possible. Courts expect parents to honor the IPTG holiday schedule, but encourage accommodation for family traditions when both parties are in agreement. If you do decide to adjust the holiday schedule by agreement, make sure to do so in writing and share it with the other parent. This can be as simple as sending the other parent a text message or email confirming the details of the adjusted schedule. This will allow you to refer back to your email or text message if any disagreements arise later.
4. Double-check your specific schedule. While the IPTG makes the holiday schedule predictable, many families have custom or modified schedules contained in court orders. When combined with the school calendar, parents can know the entire year’s holiday parenting time schedule today. That certainty frees families to focus on creating meaningful holiday traditions—rather than courtroom battles.
Brown Carrington, PLLC has many Indiana attorneys skilled in navigating child-related issues, including parenting time disputes.
If you have any questions about this blog article or need further guidance, please contact us to schedule a consultation.
Written by: Ryan Cassman
Ryan Cassman is a Partner at Brown Carrington, PLLC, and a Certified Family Law Specialist, Mediator, and Parenting Coordinator with over 20 years of experience. Recognized as an Indiana Super Lawyer every year since 2009, Ryan is known for his balanced approach combining skillful negotiation with strong courtroom advocacy. He’s dedicated to helping families navigate complex legal issues with clarity, compassion, and practical solutions.
Learn more about Ryan here.
Written by: Catherine Pierce
Catherine is a dedicated family law attorney specializing in divorce, child custody, adoption, and domestic violence matters. She earned her J.D. from the University of Louisville and has gained extensive experience through roles as a public defender and internships focused on family and child welfare issues. Catherine is known for her thorough legal research, strong advocacy skills, and commitment to guiding clients through complex family law matters with clarity, strategy, and professionalism.
Learn more about Catherine here.
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