Oscar and Millie: December 2022 with matching Christmas pjs. They love it!

If like me, you’re a massive fan of Christmas, you might already be thinking about who you are spending it with and what delicious treats you can get (I’ve already booked my M&S food slot and the Smyths catalogue arrived in September and was annotated straightaway!)

Christmas is a very busy time and can provide a lot of stress for many but for a parent of a neurodiverse child, the festival brings with it lots of uncertainty about how their little ones will react to it. The amount of sensory stimulation is overpowering. Shops filled to the brim with toys, lights galore in the streets, the mile long queues to see the man in red. And don’t get me started on Elf on the Shelf, although I secretly enjoy thinking of what mischievous act the Elf can get up to. Oscar found it funny last year when the Elf drew minion faces on bananas and had a marshmallow bath. Oscar has been going on about wanting a toy food mixer for about 6 months but luckily he is still set on that as I visited Argos a while ago!

However, we must try to remember it is only one day. It is important to try and go with the flow (although it is difficult if you have an unpredictable child.) There is a massive expectation on children but it is important to let them go at their own pace. If they want to open all the presents at once: that’s fine! If they don’t want to that’s ok also. Can they have their millionth choccie biscuit? Of course. Can they have some break out time? Definitely. I am going to take Oscar’s ear defenders to my Mum’s house where we are spending Christmas Day. He can regulate himself with them and it helps if it all gets too much.

This year they don’t break up from school until December 22nd so there won’t be too long until the big day. We can have a calm Christmas Eve and open our Christmas Eve box with jigsaws and chocolate and maybe watch a film. The children enjoy wearing special pyjamas. On Christmas Day itself, we are not going out until late morning and so that gives the children time with their presents before we share the day with a dozen family members.

Here are some useful things to remember:

Hope you all have a magical time wherever you are.