Autism and Christmas: Finding Joy Beyond the Noise

How are we doing besties? 

I must say ending the year with my own corner of the internet, a step forward to my career and new beautiful besties? It has actually been a dream. So let me start by saying thank you for joining me on this journey and I hope you are enjoying it so far.  

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Still I hope you had an amazing festive season! And if you do not celebrate Christmas, I hope any celebrations you had/have and any time off was still amazing! And I hope everyone has/had a brilliant welcome into 2026! 

This week is all about the festive season, Christmas, New Year, and everything that surrounds it.  

For most people, this season is an exciting time, food, drinks, music, celebrations, a time to celebrate and be around friends and family. Now don’t get me wrong, for us with autism or neurospicyminds it is an exciting time, and we enjoy it and look forward to it however it does not come without its struggles.  

Let us start with my biggest struggle with Christmas, receiving gifts. I love gift giving. It is one of my love languages, giving gifts watching people's faces light up. The whole aspect of finding the gift that makes me think of them, buying it, wrapping it, and then opening. It really makes me happy. However, if you turn it around, we also receive gifts over Christmas. I seem the most ungrateful person by showing no emotion or my face says everything.

For example I do not wear pyjamas, I do not put them on my body and this year my Nan got me a pair of pyjamas. Luckily we do not open presents in front of her because my face said my dislike for them straight away. I felt my arms go tingly even when they weren’t on my body. There is not an in-between for me either, no emotion or my face will tell you I do not like the gift, and for that reason I have a real fear and hatred for receiving gifts.  

Christmas is a beautiful time of year but a major sensory overload, me and my sister are both autistic, and our sensory needs are different. For example I love lights, and Christmas is my favourite time to go see lights. Whereas I do not like loud sounds. My sister however is okay with sound but does not like lights. Everywhere you go there’s one or the other or both. Either bright lights (which I will stop and stare at until you physically pull me away) or loud Christmas music and people singing on the street.

Autism is different in everyone. This may not be the case for every autistic person but will be for a lot of us, the sensory overload of Christmas.  

Another big thing about Christmas some of us may struggle with is food, a lot of neurospicy people have or at some point in their life had an eating disorder. Myself included. Even if you are not neurospicy you might relate to this. Christmas is surrounded by food, chocolate and snacking and a three  course meal.

But I need everyone to know if you struggle with food especially around Christmas you are not alone, I promise. 

And do not get me started on New Year, now I do not go out on New Year. I am an order a take-away, have some wine and create vision boards, crystal charge, everything bath, type of girl. Rather than an outside type girl, however, fireworks. Who decided fireworks needed to be a thing? Not only do you scare my dachshund, but they absolutely scare me. My whole body goes into overdrive and feels wrong all because of fireworks. I hate fireworks.  

New year I think is a challenging time for most people; you start thinking about things you wanted to achieve and did not. Things that went wrong. Things that you “failed at” but for an autistic woman, my mind goes straight to the change everyone expects. I hate change and cannot do it, I thrive on routine and everything changes in the festive season. Everyone is in my space, and I am expected to see people you would not normally see.

However, I did make resolutions. Do I stick to them? Not always but we make them! 

My top five this year are: 

1: Lose weight and get ready for my second surgery  

2: Graduate with my Bachelors  

3: Pass my driving test  

4: Start my master's and move out  

5: Stop letting people walk all over me  

Tell me besties, what are yours?  

No matter your struggles, you deserve an amazing festive season, and I truly hope you had one, remember you are not alone, and I do hope this blog is helping even one person feel heard.  

Walking into 2026, following my dream career path, in my third year of university. I have my own blog, younger me would not believe her if you told her. I appreciate everyone reading, everyone following and Luna as a whole for the opportunity.  

Here is to 2026 besties a year of joy, achievement, success, love, and everything we dream it to be. I will be praying, hoping, and manifesting for not just me but every single one of you!  

Love,  

Your autistic bestie xx 

Book of the week: The Housemaid Secret by Freida McFadden and A Court of Silver Flames by Sarah J. Mass (I know we finally finished the other one) 

Written by Rebecca-Rose Mitchell