You remember as a kid the anticipation of what your going to get from Santa. I remember it so clearly, couldn't sleep, and trying to seek a peek - and my parents saying if you don't go to bed - Santa is not going to come. So slowly I would get back in bed and finally go to sleep, only to wake just a few hours later to my parents saying Santa came, come in to my room and getting me up. All the while telling me "lets see what he brought you". I remember running in to the room so excited I could hardly contain myself. Then sitting down as the family passed out gifts and we started to open them up wildly, looking a the gift then setting it aside, and opening another until they were all opened. Then it was play time. One year getting the bike, one year as I got older getting the boombox with a tape player, then another year getting my first TV for my room and so many many more memories.
This is what I thought of when we did Christmas this year. You see the first year we had Abbie she was so small and didn't realize or understood what Christmas was, then last year she was older but yet didn't have much interested. So this year - (she is almost 3) I was excited because I thought she will know now. But you see with a child with Autism they think just a little bit differently about Christmas.
When she saw the tree this year she looked at it and went straight to it and almost knocked it down. Then it was the ornaments, we had to move those up the tree! Which I found out is normal for children her age! YAY. So as Christmas day approached. We took her to see Santa, and she was so tired she fell asleep, then the next time she saw Santa she had no interest in him at all. Didn't want to look at him or even respond. But that is ok she is like that with others a well. We talked alot about Christmas and Santa with no avail. So two days before Christmas she found her toys in our office and wanted to play with them, and I thought oh wow she is going to love Christmas morning!
Christmas morning - She wakes up and comes in to the living room, all her gifts are under the tree wrapped and a big Santa gift just under the tree. What does she do, (I laugh at myself) She looks and then turns away a goes to her other toys and starts to play with them taking no notice to the ones under the tree. So we redirect her to the tree where see the Santa toy. And she starts playing with it, it was so great to see. But still she had no interest in the wrapped gifts. I sigh to myself and it all comes to me that Christmas with Abbie will be just a little be different. She will take her time will study and play with each toy and will enjoy the experience as she goes. So it took us nearly 2 1/2 open 7 gifts, but each gift was special to her, and new and exciting.
I think that is what Christmas is about, learning that everyone reacts differently and no one way is the right way. So Christmas at our home was joyous and exciting as we explored each gift as if it was the only one under the tree.
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