Seasons Greetings 🎄
Happy New Year to everyone who reads this! Although Christmas may have moved on, we can still remember the cheer and joy that this holiday season can bring.
Why do I enjoy celebrating Christmas? What is it like to celebrate Christmas through the lens of someone with autism? And what makes this holiday unique in Australia? I invite you to read on in this wonderful blog post and find out!
Differences Between Australia & Northern Countries
In contrast to many countries located in the northern hemisphere, Australia’s close proximity to the tropics in the southern hemisphere means that December takes place during the summer season, heavily influencing our Christmas culture and activities. This is due to very high temperatures that can reach 40C (104F) or more, drastically changing outdoor Christmas activities. 🏖
Challenges I Face During The Holiday Season
As an individual with severe autism, I find it very challenging for myself to cope and participate in Christmas-based events and the community during the holiday season, largely due to my hyperacusis which “amplifies” or “turns up” the normal volume of sound. This means that I refrain from going to any of these holiday events or locations that have very high amounts of tourism and will try to seek out quieter areas until the holiday season has ended.
Dazzling lights and festive decorations at Christmas can be captivating for individuals without autism however they can easily overwhelm the visual senses for individuals with autism. Carols sung off-key during the holidays can be distracting for some individuals with autism who like having a perfect pitch of sound. There are also anxieties with regards to the intensity of sound and unexpected noise, an example is somebody with a loud laugh. (Attwood & Garnett, 2024)
A small video clip of a Eucalyptus tree with red holiday lights can be seen below:
How did Santa Claus come about?
The tale of Santa Claus can be followed back to a friar known as St. Nicholas who was born in Turkey in A.D. 280. St. Nicholas donated all his inherited money and traversed the countryside helping those that were impoverished and ill and became known as a preserver of seafaring men.
St. Nicholas entered American culture at the end of the 18th century in New York when Dutch households gathered to respect the death of “Sint Nikolaas” (This is Dutch for Saint Nicholas) or “Sinter Klaas” for short. The name “Santa Claus” is based on this.
The popular version of Santa Claus that is depicted as a jolly red man with a white beard alongside a bag of toys was enshrined in 1881 when political cartoonist Thomas Nast drew on Moore’s piece of poetry to generate the likeness of Old Saint Nicholas we know today. (History.com editors, 2024)
How I Celebrate Christmas
My severe autism makes Christmas a challenge when there are young children nearby because of my hyperacusis. This means that I often will be in a quieter room with the guests greeting me one at a time and giving me my gifts. They stay with me for a chat, on a rotational basis similar to how I celebrate my birthday. This approach reduces the amount of stimuli to a more manageable level and allows me to enjoy the event more.
Because Australia can be very hot during the holiday season, I usually have my favourite cold foods and drinks which include:
- Chocolate ice cream
- Soft drinks (Soda)
- Blocks of chocolate squares
- Crisps (Chips)
- Shapes (GF, BBQ-flavoured)
- Chocolate milk
- Chocolate & vanilla custard (I call this “yin/yang” because I serve this in a bowl in the yin-yang symbol style)
- Chocolate biscuits (GF TimTams, etc)
- Hash browns (GF)
Because I have an autoimmune disease (coeliac disease), so all my food and drinks must be 100% gluten-free.
While I do look forward to Christmas with a lot of joy and anticipation of celebrating with my family and friends, waiting for the holiday season also creates a lot of anxiety because of my attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), which makes me become hyper focused on the event. Autism makes waiting very difficult for this special day. The struggle to wait is real! 😆
In my opinion, the true spirit of Christmas is about celebrating the joys of family and friends, not material possessions and Santa Claus. The holiday also encourages love and friendship and allows relationships in families to strengthen & grow.
How autism & attention deficit hyperactivity disorder influences the emotions with opening presents 🎁
In the context of autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), opening presents provides a satisfying experience as I never know what is hidden behind the paper wrapping (beside the gift’s shape of course) and it’s always exciting to rip open the wrapping paper and see whats inside. ADHD greatly amplifies this sense of excitement and anticipation which feels very satisfying due to the dopamine release I get from my brain.
I prefer to open my gifts in a separate room away from others where it’s quieter. The tradition of gathering around the Christmas tree for opening gifts as a family or group is too overwhelming for me. The excitable noise and unpredictability of movement from others causes me distress.
Princess Lilli Lilac
I often give Lilli the nickname “Santa Claws” during the month of December because of her white fur which has the appearance of snow. This playful & affectionate nickname serves as a pun for the name “Santa Claus” during the holiday season. We have had a very strong friendship with each other and we love each other dearly. As her human, I sometimes buy her a gift to enjoy near Christmas. She is truly a wonderful therapy cat! 💜
Conclusion
I hope that you may have learned some insights into how I celebrate Christmas from an autistic point of view and the challenges that I face with this holiday. Feel free to share your opinions in the comments below and I shall see you on the next blog post! 😃
References
History.com editors. (2024, December 9). History of Christmas. https://www.history.com/topics/christmas/history-of-christmas#who-invented-santa-claus
Attwood, T., & Garnett, M. (2024, February 17). Autism and Christmas. https://www.attwoodandgarnettevents.com/blogs/news/autism-and-christmas