I get what you’re saying here. The holidays can be overwhelming for anyone, but especially for people with disabilities it can add an extra layer of stress.
For me, I definitely relate to having trouble maneuvering my chair when there’s so many people at our house for Thanksgiving and Christmas. I generally get settled at the table early, and then after we eat and kind of spread out, I usually go back in my room with my cousin and watch movies or something. But when everyone first gets there and we’re all crowded in the kitchen, I do feel like I’m in the way.
Then, something else that kind of annoys me moreso now is that it’s become harder for me to relate to a lot of people in my family. The people in my age group -my siblings and cousins- are either married, engaged or in serious relationships. I’m not in any way bitter about this and I’m very happy for all of them, but it just seems like the big points of discussion at every family get together are about relationships, weddings, family life, etc. I love my family, but I’m just at a different point in my life and I have other things that I’m focused on and passionate about. I also don’t really want the “traditional” family and work life. I’m very passionate about my career and my writing, and I’d rather go to comic cons and pop-culture events than focus on raising a family. Being a spouse and parent is of course very admirable in my mind, but it’s just not on my radar right now.
So yeah, I definitely get what you’re saying. I’m not sure I have any concrete advice, but I would say that there’s nothing wrong with taking some time to yourself during big family get togethers. It’s not rude, and if you feel overwhelmed I say just take a break or go off with just one or two family members.
Thanks for bringing this up!