ADDitude Asked: What is your most memorable holiday mishap?
We asked our reader panel: What is the most memorable holiday mishap caused (or made worse) by your ADHD?
“Our son was acting wild at Christmas dinner and trying to touch the food as we put it on the table. Before we knew it, he grabbed the bowl of mashed potatoes and sneezed all over it.” —Monica, Montana
“I was so exhausted on Christmas Eve that I did not get the Santa presents under the tree before my child woke up. We had to take a quick drive through the neighborhood looking for Santa. Luckily, the gifts arrived while we were looking.” —Effie, South Carolina
I forgot where I put the Christmas presents. It turned into hide-and-seek for the family.” —Betty, Baltimore, Maryland
“I was nine when we visited my relatives for Christmas. My birthday is the day after Christmas, and my relatives forgot to get me any gifts. I threw a monster tantrum.” —An ADDitude Reader
“My son ran screaming from the room as we were singing “Happy Birthday”! Little did we know that he had sensory processing disorder.” -Hannah, Illinois
[Minimize Holiday Havoc with These ADHD-Friendly Strategies]
I tend to get very hyper before guests arrive. It makes everyone in the family nervous and unhappy.” —Joan Brennan, St. Louis, Missouri
“My sister, who has ADHD, was hosting us for Christmas. She had two foil-covered trays in the fridge – one was Jell-O salad, the other an egg casserole. She was so distracted and amped up by all of us being at her house that we had baked Jell-O on Christmas morning!” —An ADDitude Reader
“It was the Christmas that I decided to make a bathrobe for my mother, who often made bathrobes for us. I didn’t get it finished. My husband was mortified, never having done anything late in his life. I told him not to worry because I knew Mom would understand. He worried. When Mom opened my present and I explained that it wasn’t finished, she broke out laughing and told my dad to give me my present from her. It was also an unfinished bathrobe from exactly the same pattern. (My brothers and I later realized that she had ADHD, as well.) We had a wonderful time in January working on our robes together. She wore hers until the day she died, 34 years later. It was her favorite bathrobe ever.” —Kathy, Baltimore, Maryland
“Christmas morning came, our three-year-old son opened his gifts, and we all had a great time. After the morning’s festivities, I gathered up most of his toys and put them in a big garbage bag, so we could keep the living room organized. Sure enough, later during our stay, when I tried to find his bag of toys, I realized that they had been thrown in the trash with all the other holiday garbage. I felt terrible.” —An ADDitude Reader
[Free Download: Your Holiday Survival Kit]
“I was proud of the lovely coffee cake I had made for the Easter breakfast at our church. We were running late, and as we sped down the street, I thought to myself, “Where did I put the coffee cake?” Then I looked in the rear-view mirror and saw my foil-clad cake slide off the roof and hit the pavement behind our car.” —Leslie, Ohio
