Your holiday custody schedule in Nevada comes from one place: the written custody order in your case. Nevada’s custody statutes don’t set a default holiday schedule, and a phone deal with your ex doesn’t change your order.
Check now who has Thanksgiving on Thursday, Nov. 26, 2026, and how winter break is split. No holiday schedule? Start today. Clark County’s family court won’t set a regular motion sooner than 35 days after filing.
General information, not legal advice. Fathers Rights Help Line Of Las Vegas is not a law firm, and no one can promise how a judge will rule.
How to Read the Holiday Custody Schedule in Your Nevada Order
The Family Law Self-Help Center’s custody decree and joint petition forms put holidays in Exhibit 1, “Parenting Timeshare and Holiday Schedule”. If your order looks different, search it for “holiday.”
NRS 125C.010 says a visitation order must include “all specific times and other terms,” and it rejects vague words like “reasonable.” If your order promises “reasonable” holiday time, fix that before the holidays, not during them.
Five things to check
- Which holidays are named. An unlisted holiday falls under your regular schedule.
- Start and end times. “The day school lets out” and “noon on Dec. 26” are exact.
- Odd and even years. If your schedule alternates, 2026 is an even year.
- Transportation. Who drives, and where is the exchange?
- Vacation rules. Look for notice deadlines and itinerary rules.
What the Self-Help Center’s form says
If your order kept the form’s defaults, they read:
- Thanksgiving: alternates by odd and even years, from the day school lets out until noon the day before school resumes.
- Winter break: a Christmas segment from the day school lets out until noon Dec. 26. A New Year’s segment runs from then until noon the day before school resumes. The order assigns each by even and odd years.
- Vacation: “Vacation time is not allowed during a holiday allotted to the other parent.”
Your signed order controls, not the blank form.
The penalty notice at the end
Nevada custody orders must include a penalty notice (NRS 125C.0045(6)). Part of it reads: “THE ABDUCTION, CONCEALMENT OR DETENTION OF A CHILD IN VIOLATION OF THIS ORDER IS PUNISHABLE AS A CATEGORY D FELONY AS PROVIDED IN NRS 193.130.” Bring the kids back on time, even if you lost the last holiday.
2026 Holiday Dates for Clark County Families
If the holiday custody schedule in your Nevada order ties parenting time to school, these dates set your pickups. They come from the Clark County School District’s 2026–27 calendar and the Eighth Judicial District Court’s holiday list.
| Date | What happens |
|---|---|
| Wed., Nov. 25 | No school for CCSD students (also the district’s first contingency day, if needed) |
| Thu., Nov. 26 | Thanksgiving Day. No school; courts closed. |
| Fri., Nov. 27 | Family Day, a Nevada legal holiday. No school; courts closed. |
| Fri., Dec. 18 | CCSD winter break begins at the end of the school day |
| Dec. 21 – Jan. 1 | No school for CCSD students |
| Fri., Dec. 25 | Christmas Day. Courts closed. |
| Fri., Jan. 1 | New Year’s Day. Courts closed. |
| Mon., Jan. 4 | Staff development day. No school for students. |
| Tue., Jan. 5 | CCSD classes resume |
CCSD labels its calendar “subject to change,” so recheck before you commit. Charter or private school? Use that school’s calendar.
Under the form’s default wording, a CCSD student’s Thanksgiving time would run from when school lets out Tuesday, Nov. 24, to noon Sunday, Nov. 29, unless the district uses Nov. 25 as a contingency day. The Christmas segment would run from Friday, Dec. 18 to noon Saturday, Dec. 26.
Planning Thanksgiving and Christmas Exchanges in Las Vegas
By early November, confirm your Thanksgiving custody plan in one short, calm message: dates, times, and the exchange spot, exactly as your order states them. Save the reply.
If you deal cards, tend bar, or work a hotel front desk, you may be scheduled Thanksgiving Day. Line up coverage or propose a swap in writing. A swap won’t change your order, though. Without a filed Stipulation and Order, the Self-Help Center says a judge will assume you’re still following the original one.
Christmas Day 2026 falls on a Friday. If your regular weekend starts Fridays, check whether the holiday clause or the weekend clause controls Christmas visitation, and settle any gap in writing.
A North Las Vegas-to-Henderson handoff can run late on a holiday. Text when you leave and when you arrive.
No Holiday Schedule? Why the Clock Matters
Clark County’s court rules put a regular family motion on the calendar no sooner than 35 days after filing (EDCR 5.502(b)). File on Nov. 6, and the earliest possible setting is Dec. 11. File on Nov. 20 or later, and the court can’t set a regular motion before Christmas Day. Only a judge can move a date up, and the Self-Help Center describes that request, an order shortening time, as one for emergencies.
If there’s no custody order at all
Under NRS 125C.0015(2), until a court decides custody, each parent has joint legal and joint physical custody. That leaves no holiday schedule to enforce. Parents who agree can file a Joint Petition for Custody, which includes a holiday exhibit; otherwise, a case starts with a custody complaint. If you weren’t married when your child was born, first read what Nevada custody and paternity law actually says.
If you and the other parent agree
If you already have an order, put the agreed holiday terms in a Stipulation and Order that you both sign in front of a notary. Once the judge signs it, it becomes a binding order. Be specific, because the Self-Help Center warns that a judge may not sign an unclear agreement. Email it to your judge’s department, since mail takes 4–6 weeks.
If you can’t agree
If you already have an order, the Self-Help Center’s form is the Motion to Modify Custody, Visitation, and/or Child Support. Court rules require you to try to resolve the issue with the other parent before you file a motion (EDCR 5.501). If custody is contested, parents generally must attend mediation first, through the Family Mediation Center or a private mediator (EDCR 5.306).
The Family Mediation Center can mediate holiday schedules. Sessions are held by phone, and you need a court order to use it. Fees run on an income-based sliding scale unless waived. Any agreement isn’t enforceable until the judge signs it and it’s filed. If you end up in court, read what to expect at your first Clark County family court hearing.
Not sure which path fits? Call the Fathers Rights Help Line Of Las Vegas at (702) 609-3688. We’ll help you get organized and find the right Clark County resource.
Holiday Travel With Your Kids
Before you book, reread your order’s vacation and travel terms. Meet every notice and itinerary deadline.
Your order’s penalty notice also covers removing a child “from the jurisdiction of the court without the consent of either the court or all persons who have the right to custody or visitation.” If the order doesn’t clearly allow an out-of-state trip, get the other parent’s written consent with dates, destination, and return time.
Going abroad? For a child under 16, the State Department says both parents or guardians must appear or give approval before it issues a passport. As of October 2026, it lists routine processing at 4–6 weeks, not counting mailing. Start early if your child doesn’t have a passport yet.
Keep a Written Record
A calm record protects you whether the holidays go well or badly:
- Before: save the message confirming dates, times, and place.
- During: note arrival times and anything unusual that day.
- After: log every exchange, including the smooth ones.
Keep messages short, civil, and about the kids. Our guide to child custody help for fathers in Las Vegas and Clark County covers documentation in more depth.
What to Do About Denied Holiday Visitation
If the door doesn’t open, don’t force it. Write down the time, place, who was there, and what was said.
With a Clark County order, a Motion to Enforce Visitation and/or Custody asks the judge to step in. The Self-Help Center says police usually need a judge’s “Pickup Order” first, and judges grant those only in true emergencies. Under NRS 125C.020, a judge may order make-up time if a noncustodial parent was wrongfully denied a visit; a make-up holiday visit needs at least 30 days’ written notice to the court and the other parent.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who gets the kids on Thanksgiving if the custody order doesn’t mention it?
If your order has no holiday clause, its regular schedule covers Thanksgiving. The Self-Help Center says a judge will assume you’re following the original order unless a filed Stipulation and Order changes it. With no order, NRS 125C.0015(2) gives both parents joint legal and physical custody until a court rules.
How far ahead should I file to add a holiday schedule in Clark County?
As early as you can. Under EDCR 5.502(b), the court sets a regular family motion no sooner than 35 days after filing, and only a judge can shorten that time. If you and the other parent agree, a notarized Stipulation and Order lets the judge approve the change without a hearing.
Can I take my child out of Nevada for Christmas?
Check your order’s vacation and travel terms first. Nevada custody orders carry a penalty notice that covers removing a child from the court’s jurisdiction without the consent of the court or everyone with custody or visitation rights. If your order doesn’t clearly allow the trip, get the other parent’s written consent before you book.
Can my ex refuse my Christmas visitation in Las Vegas?
If a court order gives you that time, refusing it violates the order. Write down what happened that day. A Motion to Enforce Visitation and/or Custody asks the judge to step in, and the judge may award make-up time. Police usually require a judge’s Pickup Order first, and judges grant those only in true emergencies.
Is the day after Thanksgiving a holiday in Nevada?
Yes. Nevada law makes the Friday after Thanksgiving a legal holiday called Family Day, and courts and public schools close (NRS 236.015). In 2026, that’s Friday, Nov. 27. If your order mentions only Thanksgiving Day, settle in writing now who has the kids that Friday.
Talk It Through Before the Holidays
If your holiday custody schedule in Nevada is missing or unclear, you don’t have to sort it out alone. The Fathers Rights Help Line Of Las Vegas helps dads in Las Vegas, Henderson, North Las Vegas, and across Clark County get organized and find the right local resource. Call (702) 609-3688, or learn about the help line’s support services for Las Vegas fathers.
Disclaimer: This article is general information about Nevada law and Clark County procedures as of October 2026. It is not legal advice and creates no attorney-client relationship. Fathers Rights Help Line Of Las Vegas is not a law firm, does not represent anyone in court, and cannot guarantee any custody, visitation, or holiday outcome. Rules, forms, and calendars change, so confirm details with the court or your child’s school and talk with a Nevada-licensed attorney about your situation.