December and January for me are the months of kindness, joy and the season of giving. This is a wonderful opportunity to teach and practice kindness. Kindness is a universal value that is an integral part of all traditions. Kindness knows no borders. Kindness is contagious. It even makes our hearts beat longer and means that we treat everyone with equal respect, regardless of their culture, color, social or intellectual status.

Whilst the holiday season can be full of such wonderful joys, it can also be a very stressful time for many parents and children with special needs. Sharing a social experience does not have to involve a great deal of language or commotion. One of my fondest childhood memories was spending Christmas afternoon with my Nanny helping her complete one of her jigsaw puzzles. It was a family tradition to buy her a jigsaw puzzle and she would spend the 12 days of Christmas completing her puzzle. We often didn’t chat but would quietly sit side by side together completing the puzzle. With the chaotic lead up towards Christmas, there was something calming about seeing these 1000s of tiny puzzle pieces become a whole picture by time the New Year came around.

I look forward to sharing the Super Special Kids and Cake podcasts in 2018 as well as sharing my new children’s story, Raffy the Contemplative Giraffe.

I wish you all a wonderful Christmas Holiday and a Blessed New Year.