Merry Christmas!

Every year, I hear comments from autism families about how different their holidays are from anyone else. And every year, I say the same thing - "good!"

Who wants a holiday that fits into a perfect mold? Our lives are nothing like anyone else's so why should our Christmas? Embrace the differences and create a Christmas that is perfect for your family.

That's what we do. Crowds are not fun so we do a lot of drive-thru light displays and we visit other places during the week or earlier in the day to avoid the craziness of crowds. Casey has her list of places she "must" see each year and we start early to make sure we visit each of them. Rob enjoys those activities, too, but he isn't as concerned about getting to all of them like Casey is. (Or, more likely, he really wants to go, but knows he doesn't need to worry because Casey will make sure we get to each!)

I don't worry about "age-appropriate" gifts - I buy what I know they will enjoy. Lots of Legos and Sesame Street friends and socks and construction paper are on the list for them. Casey is so excited that Santa is coming this week! And, I truly count myself lucky that the magic of Christmas will never leave our house! Looking in the sky for Rudolph's nose on Christmas Eve is pure joy!

Merry Christmas to all of you from Autism, Apples & Kool-Aid! (AKA - Jen, Casey and Rob!) May your holiday be full of love and laughs!