Neorodiverse & disorganised mums Christmas solidarity thread!

[AnyoneGotATimeMachine]

Roll up! Frazzled, disorganised people welcome over here!

Every bloody year I promise myself I'll get it done earlier.

But, I still have a mountain of tidying to do before I can even think about decorating or wrapping. The poor tree has been sitting in the garden for 2 days.

Not one room is usable yet.

Hoping to make last posting day tomorrow but that depends on me remembering where I stashed the presents!

But it'll all be alright on the night, won't it?! 5 days is plenty of time to sort out a crazy untidy house finish all my shipping, cards and posting and decorating, right, right?

I'm just hoping the last-minute ADHD panic superpower kicks in soon!

How are you all doing out there? Despite your best intentions, has Christmas snuck up on you again?

I don't think my MIL is ND, but her idea of wrapped presents, is to put them under the tree in whatever bag she purchased them in. No labels and no clue who gets what!

I put this on another thread, but 1 year, I opened my 'carrier bag' gift, to also find a defrosted bag of frozen veg at the bottom. Another time, I got size 7 boys spider man underpants! 😆

I had a last minute ADHD panic today, dd comes home from uni tomorrow so I had to clear her room….which was being used as a clutter room, tidied the house, caught up with washing clothes as dd will bring me her washing tomorrow 😭. I’m now mentally exhausted and scared to open any cupboard doors incase the clutter falls out.

It'll be fine 🙂 🙏

I am pretty much done with present buying and the tree/decorations are up.

I finish work tomorrow (teacher) so hoping I can crack on over the weekend and get finished.

I need to wrap everything (and possibly try to charge the switch I have bought for ds prior to wrapping), clean the house, do the food shop, deliver a couple of cards/presents.

I'm just telling myself it will all get done in the end.

DH is working over the weekend and Monday but will chip in where he can.

Whatever isn't done can either be hidden or managed without 😂

To be honest, the last day of term is stressing me out - it's the lack of normal routine, the fact that I am with my form the whole time and it's all too people-ly 🤯

I HAVE FOUND MY PEOPLE.

I joined a Christmas craft swap. Missed the deadline. Got told it was ok because I can still make the last posting date before Christmas, which is... tomorrow. I am half done and will be pulling a very late night, if not an all-nighter, to finish it in time.

This year I forgot to make a list as I bought presents so they are all unwrapped and in various bags around the house. I need to take inventory.

I haven't done any food shopping or planning and our Christmas tree isn't even up.

screams into the void

I’ve given up on cards, this year I’ve managed to justify no tree as well as we are away, not one decoration up, house is a tip, haven’t bought half the presents I should have, will be winging it to the end…

I'm joining you in solidarity!

Urgh. I was sick from the end of October to early December, and the last two weeks are my busiest and most stressful work weeks of the year. So I still have to buy most of my presents. I finish work tomorrow night, so hopefully the hell of city centre shows in full-on Christmas-tourist-zone combined with Amazon Prime will prevent disaster.

I had a proper meltdown last Sunday though, and have extra tired all week as a result.b

Your not alone. I've got the presents but nothing is wrapped cant even remeber what I've got or of there is enough for each kid
My house is a pit, doesn't help I have a stomach bug from hell! Every year I say I will get organised but nope lol

I love you lot, you are my people.❤

"Take inventory" I like it! It sounds civilised and like you're doing something organised, with intent.

I'm going to stop saying I need to find the presents to work out what the fuck I've bought people and instead I'm.goimg to "take inventory". 🥰

Oh, I am very very good at SOUNDING organised. 😂

Signing in - still working til Tues morning. Still have pressies to buy.
House is grubby and cluttered.
I have got the tree up and almost all of the washing done.

I'm on board with your mil here- saves time and better for the environment.

I've never minded, but surely writing our names on the bag would be helpful?

ASD and ADHD traits fighting against each other here - presents are all bought and wrapped, but the entire house is an utter tip and I keep finding other things to do that are more important. 🤔

I did a classic adhd Christmas this year which is that I had excellent intentions and downloaded an app which lets you itemise each person you are buying for, make a list of what you’re getting them, set a budget per item and per person and track whether you’re bought them, delivered, wrapped etc. I painstakingly made my list with all the items etc and felt so proud of myself.

In my silly little adhd head that meant that Christmas shopping was DONE. I felt so organised that I… kind of forgot that the next step was BUYING THE BLOODY PRESENTS. Cue huge panic and trying to get everything ordered before last delivery dates etc. (ps. Obviously haven’t looked at the list for at least a month now, no idea what I wrote)

I bought presents and hid them. Entirely predictably I have no idea where I put them all. I managed to hide a brand new laptop a year ago and I have never seen it since. It will turn up in a year or two.

I do this with clothes too. I buy them, decide I don't like them, put them in a bag to return, lose the bags and find them in two years. I try the clothes on and love them. It's like I'm shopping for future me, not me today.

I really need to go join a housekeeping thread 😬

I’ve just only bought the tree (still in the box!) but no ornaments as we’ve moved abroad a year ago and I’ve just been surviving with work, kids’ schedules, chores, etc as my DH commutes back and forth to the UK. We have a couple of presents but nothing wrapped; haven’t even decided what to cook or sourced much in the way of ingredients and yet, I’m ok with that! We’ll be together and things will somehow happen!

I'm undiagnosed autistic. Can see so much of me in my 3 autistic children.
I've good intentions always, but as usual I'm lowering my expectations.
Im sitting up with a lemsip not feeling so good and not able to sleep with all that I've to do in my head.
Cleaning the cooker out is a priority tomorrow and kitchen windows and patio doors. Hate the sun shining in and dirty windows.
Still loads to wrap but doing a bit every night. I be running on adrenaline.
Just lower expectations and breathe.
I always feel guilty that my children aren't getting enough attention in the run up too cuz I'm so busy and they are just there.
I've downscaled on stuff and am so proud of myself for that too.
Being able to walk past stuff and say no is a learned skill.
I've had years we're I've left things back unopened and got refunded and the children never asked we're they went.
When my bailey's is in my hand and eastenders is on everyone knows that's my time and do not disturb me.
I then have that moment we're I look at everything and feel very proud of myself for pulling it off for them no matter what I'm going through.

Oh I need to sign in because I have The Fear of the Christmas deadline kicking in immensely.

I also need to go to bed because staying up will just make it worse. Just wanted to mark my place for tomorrow.

The ironic part of course, which you presumably all know, is that The Fear does not motivate me to ACT towards said deadline.

No, it just causes me to sit around frozen like a festive snowman or something. FFS

I'll join you in solidarity once I've slept the 6 hours I'll be lucky to get tonight.

Ooh me too. I am undiagnosed (ADHD paperwork got lost 3 years ago and I haven’t been able to organise myself to get back to the doctors 😭) but got a house full of ND offspring and way too many pets. Started really well and early for once but then got bored. Some cards written but undelivered. A few presents bought for random relatives and the dog but have bought NOTHING for DCs. And I hate shopping. And crowds. Despite cleaning for EVER the house is still a complete tip. And I’m ill. Just want to cry now. ASD DH is organising the food shopping and cooking otherwise we would be having toast on Christmas Day. Probably without butter

I don't (think) I am ND, but still disorganised...

Still have some presents to buy, everything to wrap, all food shopping to do, and half a house to tidy and clean. Visitors arrive for early Christmas tomorrow evening... On the positive side, all cards are posted, cleaner came today and did half the house, most presents bought, and up late writing my to do list for tmrw.

My main problem is a dp who does nothing!

Hi ! You are my people , one thing I don’t do is Christmas cards , I can buy them , and even write them , but I always fail at the bit where I have to buy stamps and post them !