The One-Page Holiday Plan

Sound familiar?

Your agreement says “alternating holidays.”

• But does Christmas Eve start at 10am or after dinner?

• Who’s driving?

• Is Thanksgiving weekend yours, or just Thursday?

• And then there’s the school concert.

• The cookies-with-Santa breakfast.

• The trip to Grandma’s that you heard about secondhand.

So you stay “flexible.”

You text “we’ll figure it out.”

And you find yourself rereading your agreement at 9pm on December 23rd.

The schedule isn’t the hard part. The guessing is.

There’s a better way to do the holidays in two homes

Most holiday conflict doesn’t come from big disagreements. It comes from vague plans, last-minute surprises, and decisions made in reaction to your co-parent instead of what your kids need.

In this workshop, we’ll walk you through your actual holiday schedule, step by step, through a child-centered lens. You’ll leave knowing exactly what the season looks like, what you need to ask for, and how to handle the events you both want to be part of.

Inside the workshop

Read your agreement like a pro
We’ll show you how to find when each holiday actually starts and ends, and how to spot the vague language that causes most December blowups.

Check the fit
Just because it’s in the agreement doesn’t mean it works for your kids this year. You’ll decide whether your schedule fits your family, and what to request if it doesn’t. That includes how to give your co-parent a courteous heads-up about travel.

Together, take turns, or separate this year?
Cookies with Santa. The school concert. The menorah lighting. You’ll learn how to tell whether you can show up together, whether you should alternate events or years, or whether it’s just too fresh, and what to do with that answer.

Scripts for the hard questions
“Why can’t Dad come see Santa?” “Why do I have to leave before presents?” We’ll give you the words for the questions kids ask most at the holidays.

You’ll walk away with:

Your One-Page Holiday Plan:

• Every transition from Thanksgiving through New Year’s, with real dates and times

• A clear decision on each joint event: together, take turns, or separate this year

• Message templates for requesting schedule changes and sharing travel plans

• Hard Questions scripts for the holiday conversations with your kids

• The full replay, in case the holidays get in the way

You won’t just learn about it. You’ll fill in your plan live, with us, during the workshop.

This workshop is for educational purposes and is not legal or therapeutic advice. Please consult your attorney before making changes to your custody agreement or parenting plan.

Meet your hosts

Hallie Strauss, PsyD, is a licensed psychologist and parent coordinator who has spent her career inside the family law system. She has seen tons of holiday schedules, and she knows which parts cause the most conflict.

Kate Alcamo, LCMFT, is a child and adolescent therapist, trained Collaborative Divorce professional and divorce coach, and founder of Family Therapy Center of Bethesda. She has nearly twenty years of experience helping families through change.

Together, they founded The Co-Parent Collective to help parents put their kids at the center, even when co-parenting feels hard.