Putting up the Christmas decorations can feel like a big change to some children, and this printable letter from Santa frames that change as calm and predictable, as well as magical and fun.
While it’s a great letter to give any child in the run-up to Christmas, Santa has written it especially with neurodivergent children in mind, including sensory-sensitive individuals, and those on the autistic spectrum.
The tone is gentle and reassuring throughout, as Santa invites the reader to enjoy putting up the Christmas decorations in whatever way suits them.
Click on the letter below to access your free PDF, or scroll down to find out more about this letter and its contents.
A bit more about why Santa created this letter:
Not every child enjoys piles of higgledy-piggledy Christmas decorations, flashing lights, and the pressure to get decorations up quickly and beautifully — and that’s okay.
At Rooftop Post, we have neurodivergent children in the family who love the magic of the season, but can find the sudden arrival of decorations stressful or overwhelming. Therefore, we asked Santa to create a letter that would help: one that shares his own decorating routine and makes it clear that there’s no right or wrong way to get ready for Christmas.
This letter recognises the needs of some autistic and neurodivergent children. It offers quiet encouragement, simple language, and a sense that there is no need to hurry and no “right” way to put the Christmas decorations up.
We hope it will help children to enjoy Christmas in their own unique way, and that it will be particularly useful to those who feel safer when festive routines are explained and flexible.
What exactly is in the letter?
In this letter:
-
Santa talks about how he enjoys the run up to Christmas, and values visual ways of perceiving this, like using an advent calendar.
-
He encourages decorating as a means of looking forward to Christmas, and explains that he finds sorting the decorations out in a way that suits him quite calming.
-
He invites the child to take as much time as they like to decorate in a way that feels comfortable for them – and notes how nice it is that all families do things differently.
-
At the end, he reminds the child to carry on being themselves.
Download:
Click the picture of the letter (above) or the button below to download the calming letter as a free printable PDF.
It’s free for personal use – just print it out at home, trim the border, and leave it somewhere magical… or simply read it together.
🎄 Looking for a different tone?
You can also download our Calming Letter from Santa, for children who enjoy the festive build-up but need a gentle approach.