For the first time in a while, I think I actually enjoyed Christmas Day.
We hosted a few family members in our house, which made a huge difference. The lights and music weren’t too much, as we designed them with my sensory limits in mind. I cooked, which allowed me to create lists, stick to precise timings and, most importantly, allowed me a chance to ‘escape’ whenever needed. I actually told people, in a more polite way than I’ll word it here, that I usually get very overwhelmed at Christmas and that I didn’t want to this year, so if I stepped away for a while, it was nothing offensive and instead it was to de-escalate and that I would be back shortly. I avoided a lot of close moments this way.
The main difference though, after all of that preamble, was seeing my daughter’s first Christmas. It was a beautiful sight. She was full of wonder and completely loved everything. Completely refused to nap all day too, but that’s another story! People warned me that it would be magical to witness and now I know what they meant.
I hope you all had a nice day, whatever you decided to do. Or if not, that you’ve made it through and can start moving towards a bit more ‘normality’ soon. I imagine it’s still going to be a bit quiet here for a few more days, but still wanted to wish you all a nice time anyway.
