How Holiday Parenting Time Works in Hamilton County: The Even/Odd Year System

In Hamilton County Juvenile Court matters, holidays are meant to be shared by agreement. If you and the other parent can work out a plan together - even one that looks nothing like the Court's printed schedule - that agreement takes priority. But when you can't agree? The Court's Standard Holiday Schedule kicks in. It's designed to prevent a stalemate: no agreement means you follow the Court's schedule, so there's always a clear answer about who has the child and when.

This isn't some informal guideline. The Juvenile Court's Standard Holiday Schedule is attached to - and incorporated into - the Standard Parenting Time Schedule order. That means it's part of the overall framework the Court expects parents to follow when they don't have a different agreement in place.

Hamilton County's Standard Holiday Schedule runs on an even/odd year system. Each holiday is assigned to

• ✓ New Year’s - 12/31 7PM to 1/1 7PM
• ✓ Halloween - 10/31 4PM–8:30PM

When parenting-time periods overlap, the Court's rules spell out which one wins. Holiday parenting time comes first. If there's still a conflict, extended parenting time (vacation) is next. Regular parenting time is last. This matters because it answers the question everyone asks: "Do we follow the normal weekly schedule, or the holiday?" The holiday schedule wins.

1. Try to agree early - Holidays come up every year, so start the conversation ahead of time and aim for a clear plan both parents can live with.
2. Put the agreement in writing - A quick written confirmation (even a simple message that states the holiday, dates, and exchange times) helps prevent “I thought we said…” disputes later.
3. Use the Court’s Standard Holiday Schedule if you can’t agree - In Hamilton County Juvenile Court cases, that standard schedule is the built-in fallback when the parents are unable to reach an agreement.
4. Keep a simple record of exchanges and communications - Save the written plan and note what actually happened at pickup/drop-off. If a conflict comes up later, having a timeline is often more useful than trying to reconstruct details from memory.

For the complete list of holidays and exact exchange times, check the Hamilton County Juvenile Court's published Standard Holiday Parenting Time Schedule. The sample time windows above (like New Year's and Halloween) come straight from that official document, but review the full schedule for every holiday that applies to your family.