Am I the only one about Christmas?

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Is there any others on here on the autism spectrum who never really had problems around the Christmas holidays?


Seems like lot of people on the spectrum have issues about this holiday because of their routines get interrupted, more noise and crowds, forced to socialize, going over to relatives houses, etc.


I never really had problems with Christmas. My family always stayed home. My parents didn't have much people over on the holidays. According to my baby pictures, my parents just stayed home and didn't go anywhere and didn't have lot of people over. Only my uncle came over for Christmas and continued coming over until he moved out of Portland. In Christmas 1988, my Dad's other uncle was there according to the Christmas photos and family movies.

Only time we went away for Christmas was when i was 10. We went to Montana and had Christmas out there at my grandparents because thats what my brothers and I wanted. We wanted something new that year so we did it. This time my gay uncles were there, my other uncle, my grandparents and us. I had lot of fun that year. I played with my new toys, I got through the family pictures just fine.

I think there were only three Christmas's my family had when it was just the five of us, me, my parents and my brothers. I was 9, 11 and 12. When we moved to Montana, we have our own Christmas, then go up to my grandparents for dinner. I didn't really like that but I did fine during it. It was the boredom I didn't like.


I have always loved Christmas because I got new toys and I spend all day playing with them even though there be people at my house, my uncles my grandparents, my dad's friends. They come over for dinner. We had that one Christmas in 1992 when my grandparents were there and two Christmas's in a row, my gay uncles were there. I remember I hated it when my mother made me give up my room so my uncles could sleep in there because my grandparents were here too. I slept with my parents that night.

I guess I was just lucky because of the way my parents had their Christmas. We lived in Washington so we had no relatives nearby except my uncle lived in Portland and my Mom's brother lived three hours away. My uncle always came over for Christmas and my Mom's brother has came over to visit us for Christmas a few times.
They all came over to our house instead because it was big and my uncles were single (still are) so they spent it with their brother and sister's family.
In Montana, I just played with my new toys I got for Christmas when we were there visiting that one year for the holiday. But I did have my first New years Eve party there. Before I was always in bed sleeping but that year we all stayed up late, we had balloons, hats, and party whistles, and streamers. That was the only year we had it.


I have always loved Christmas despite the stress in my teens. I dunno if i was like that when I was little but I know I was when I was in my teens and then it went away. Must have been hormones.
I still love it despite Christmas shopping. I don't let any little things spoil the holiday for me. I even had a mild sensory overload at my boyfriend's sister's house yesterday because there was a lot of people and all the talking and their house is small. But I still had fun. Luckily I didn't freak out and hide in one of the bedrooms or run out of the house. That's why I said it was mild.

I too have absolutely no problem with Christmass holidays, i know and ive seen other people with the condition who get theselves into a right fit even if their daily routine is disrupted by a few minutes.

But me im the complete opposite, i love a change in the routine, sometimes i might feel a bit uneasy if i have to do something i havent done before, because i fear i might screw it up, but overall i look forward to changes in the daily routine, especially christmass, because its an opportunity to go places i dont go often, i love going places ive never been to before as well.

Infact its repetetive routines that drive me mad, once a few years ago i got so bored of having nothing to do during the summer holidays that i must have cried for about a day! Every day was the same.

Also i dont mind large crowds or parties, i just find it very hard to start a conversation, and if someone tries to start one with me i often freeze up and the words wont come out, or i just begin nervously spluttering out a conversation, although thats usually only with unfamilliar people, ill tend to be the one on my own sitting and watching other people at parties, but i quite like that, but i also lke it if people try to start conversations with me, but people nmever seem to.

Joe

I love Christmas, too, and I'm glad to see that I'm not the only person in the world who still does.

The crowds bother me, but seeing as the only time I go to the shops is to buy presents for people, it's not a huge issue. I did find myself nearly in tears from overload a few times this year, but once I got home I was ok.

It is a disruption of my normal routine, but Christmas does have a kind of routine to it- looking at Christmas lights, putting up a tree, having certain foods, seeing relatives- and I guess that my brain accepts this and switches into "Christmas routine" mode.

I think that my brain recognises a day-to-day routine as well as a yearly routine.

I don't have many problems with Christmas, although with school not in session, I'm sometimes at home by myself and I get lonely and/or depressed. Those days when I have no social contact with anyone are the worst part.

The worst part of Christmas for me is usually the holiday shopping, so I do it all online whenever possible.

I just got back from celebrating Christmas with my family at my sister's house. It's not an occasion I am inclined to skip, but I don't tend to stay a very long time. I eat a meal with them, I give and receive gifts, and then when everybody else is sitting around drinking, making small talk, and gossiping, and I have absolutely nothing relevant to add to the conversation, I take my leave as politely as possible. It goes:

"Oh, would you look at the time? I should get going now. It's been lovely. Thanks for having me over. Bye everybody! (Insert relevant holiday greeting here)!" I rehearse it well.

I tend to love holidays because of all the food. And I'm comfortable around my relatives

I always loved Christmas too. My parents and I would see my mom's relatives here in SE Michigan on Christmas day, go down to stay with my dad's relatives in Illinois for a week the day after, and spend New Year's eve with the family of my mom's best friend from college near Kalamazoo.

My parents were the last in their generation to reproduce, so I was by far the youngest and usually the only child at these gatherings up until my early teens, so it suited both my young "mental age" and inability to interact intricately with anyone my own age since everyone else was an adult. I was a happy, only child wherever we went. I always felt secure, but it didn't do anything to improve my social skills or prepare me to overcome the difficulties I'd have in adolescence.

Its a bit disruptive, but I manage.

I got man flu for Christmas, so I have a problem with it this year.

I love the holidays, it does disrupt my routine of course. My mom sleeps over, and I hate having people sleep over, yes, even my mother. I never had sleep overs as a kid either. However, I can adjust OK. All in the spirit of the season.

I left my girlfriend four weeks ago. I couldnt stand another christams with her.

So, me and my teddy bear had Xams dinner on the 24th. I couldnt be bothered to wait until the 25th. The next two days alternating between cooking and eating, surfing on the net, listening to music, watching a film, listening to music, going for long cycle rides (with music) and gonig on my city walk.
Today, I got up. Rang the family who are having a good time without me playing Wii.. I was okay til my father said it was great but he was missing his son.

I watched the film "love, actually" and cried the whole way through and demolished my Christmas supply of Chocolate.
Then I was feeling much better so I watched football on the internet.

Then I went on my city walk. I walk exactly the same route. It takes 20 mins. I take my mp3 player. It cheers me up...Rapture by Blondie: Im walking down the high street to the rythmn.. the dany warhols.. past the pub I used to drink at... Dreams by fleetwood mac.. and now I am practically singing... gold dust woman by fleetwood mac... then I reach the newly built building with the cafe/bar that is an old bar which has moved to the new buidling, just opened today. I go in and tell the owner (I know) I just want to look around... a watress walks up and smiles at me with shining eyes and for a moment I feel brilliant... I resist the temptation to ask if I could take her home and stand her in the corner so I could tu7rn around and smile at her ocassionally.. Ideally, I wish I could bottle her smile and buy 20 cases of it.... the barnd new heavies.. and Im back home. Enough time to cook dinner, and try and sit through an evening film without getting distracted....

I also feel that I'm the only adult on the Spectrum who loves Christmas. Maybe I'm higher functioning than I thought that I was, and I'm borderline NT. Maybe Christmas just happened to turn out to be one of my life-long obsessions. Maybe my Birthday was on Christmas, in a previous life. Maybe I'm lower functioning than I thought I was, and that causes me to be child-like. Maybe I was Jesus Christ, and a bit of his soul has followed me, through all of my previous lives, right up to my present life. I guess that I'll never know the answer.

I normally love Christmas, but this year I've been sick with the flu.

Not so enjoyable then.

i love christmas as well. Ive always enjoyed it. this year we went to my aunts and all my cousins were there. christmas last year was very quiet so it was nice for a change. When i was 11 we went to france for christmas which was fun expecilly as it was hot on christmas day!! But yeh always liked christmas...
xx

I have always enjoyed Christmas. As a kid, it was always the anticipation of the fun new toys. As a teenager, the simple fact of getting off from school and away from all the bulleys and other annoying people was enough for me to enjoy. Much of my extended family lives close by, and we would gather at my aunt's house and I'd see all my cousins. I enjoyed hanging out with them because they didn't annoy me, but instead let me play with their cool stuff like ride their motorbikes and let me play their 80's hair band records. Christmas was always good too because my mother would make all sorts of nice treats and stuff that she wouldn't make any other time of the year. The Church however has always been my favorite part of the Christmas season. I love singing the Christmas carols, and the sanctuary is all decorated up. There is also lots of fun shows and concerts at church during Christmas too

As an adult, I still like Christmas because it means I can see my extended family again and enjoy time with them. Sometimes, with their kids in the mix, family gatherings can get kind of chaotic and noisy, but when I get tired of it, I can just take the tough, half-mile journey a half mile to the other side of the neighborhood back to my own house. Nowadays, I am a part of all the shows and concerts at church running either lights or sound. Although it can be pretty stressful, it's exciting running the lights and sound, and every year, we try and make the shows just a little bit fancier.

i never had a problem with christmas. infact, if it was in the summer i would flip out