Special Needs Christmas: Hello, I’m Albert the Elf
Nichola Norton
I am a mother to three beautiful boys. My middle son has a vision impairment and severe non verbal autism as well as other conditions. I enjoying w...
Now, as a lot of you may know a few years ago Santa decided it would be a great idea to send some of us young elves out to mingle with the human children.
The idea was to learn from them, that they would teach us the true meaning of Christmas!
For us to see why it's important for us to work so hard.
We are to move unseen while spreading Christmas happiness, maybe a few cheeky games - after all we are elves!
But I most definitely did not make flour angels or throw bread to the ducks in the bath..nope, nope not me!
I may possibly have wrapped the TV...
...Hahaha yeah that was funny.
The biggest rule we must follow is to not get touched or we lose our magic.
Five years ago I heard about this one family, one of the children is autistic and he would not be able to understand why we can't be touched, it would be distressing and confusing for him but I couldn't ignore him, I couldn't leave him out!I'd watched this family and knew they needed some extra Christmas magic.
They deserved it.
I knew this boy and his brothers had so much to teach me, the purest hearts with magic shining in their eyes.
How can young minds be so understanding about things that I've seen adults struggle with?
They had the power to speak with no words...I was hooked - I had to be with them.
Speaking to the big jolly man himself he agreed I had to go to this family, Santa found a way but I can't tell you how!
That's a secret!
Five years on and these children still amaze me.
That boy still has no voice but I do hear him!
If someone can't use a voice to say what's inside, it doesn't mean that they have nothing to say, no it means we just have to listen a little deeper, take the time to help them release the magic from within.
You see if we look over a beach of pebbles, each one different yet each one smooth and shiny as the water washes over them.
Moving together, comforted by the understanding of the other pebbles.
Then hidden amongst the pebbles lay shells, different from the pebbles yet striking!The water washes over them rippling through the shells groves, the shell gets caught by the waves sometimes putting it off balance, looking a little lost and different to the rest of the beach.
Then if you pick that shell up and place it to your ear listening carefully, you may just hear something truly beautiful.
If you have an elf at your house say, "hello," from me.
Have a great Christmas everyone.
Love Albert x
