Katie really looks forward to celebrating Christmas every year, and her planning for it starts on the 26 December (of the previous year). The list, the all important list.

As if any one could forget that the festive season as we know it would collapse if one did not receive 50 kodak photos, 10 DVDs and two books illustrated by Steven Kellogg, two reams of paper, two boxes of pens, two shampoo, two soap, two boxes of coke, one nightie, minus the partridge in the pear tree.

Katie keeps the spirit of Christmas alive in our family. Attitude and planning make Christmas what it is and Katie has both in abundance and we love her for it.

In the past we have never put up the tree until the 3 December so as to support Katie not to confuse Christmas with the other critical date on her calendar, her birthday (2nd), also requiring multiple lists just in case we forget.

I’m not sure who we have been kidding but that’s our Katie, patient as ever, waiting for us to catch up with her thinking and planning.

At the time of writing this article Katie turned 28 and the tree was up by December 1st, completely constructed and decorated by her good self.

It’s a Work of Art.

Merry Christmas everyone.

– Sue Robertson

This article appeared in Altogether Autism Journal, Christmas 2014