Autism and holidays.

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I've hated holidays for as long as I can remember. I spent school holidays counting down the days until school starts.

Now my family (the only family member I have in this country is my mum) want me to come to Cyprus again in January.

Last time I went to Cyprus it triggered a relapse. I tried to hang myself while on holiday there and when I was intercepted, I had a huge meltdown, and then begged my dad to take me to the airport.

I spent £50 on internet on my mobile phone in a desperate attempt to keep myself sane (the internet is a good friend to me; I only have two friends in real life).

Yes my dad's girlfriend (parents separated several years ago) keeps saying "we want to see you" and my dad keeps saying "your grandmother is desperate to see you".

How can I get them to understand that the next holiday could result in serious injury or death to myself?

And does anyone else here hate holidays?

Holidays to me are just another day in my life. I never really enjoy them. It gets depressing to see other having a good time and you're left outside looking in.

I hate holidays because my sleeping pattern gets messed up. I hate it so much if I have to travel or go somewhere which always happens in holidays.

I do. I can only really speak for holidays in the sense of 'break from school etc.' and festive periods as I've only been on holidays away from home a few times to go camping fairly nearby and stuff like that.

Have you tried explaining to them what it is you find intolerable? If so, what did you say?

I don't like holidays because my parents are home then and there is no single silent moment (they insist on keeping TV and radio on even when they don't watch it). They also call me for dinner, insist I should eat what they do and tell me to clean the house without telling me about it in advance (I can clean the house if I make a schedule for it but not when someone just orders me to).

But I don't mind holidays when parents are working or out somewhere.
For a few past years I skipped family vacation trips because I preferred to stay at home and take care of our cats. It was great. The house was so silent, noone was telling me what to do and I could plan everything ahead. When parents returned after 2 weeks I couldn't deal with it and was irritated for a few next days because they destroyed the predictable environment I created.

But for some reason I have no big problem with family trips. True - I prefer staying home alone but if they insist on taking me with them I will go and even have some fun. I just need a separate room(with my pillow and my favorite blanket taken from home), lots of books(to kill boredom) and some money to spend (I like hunting for souvenirs).
I'm an adult so my parents usually just let me do what I want. They insist on going with them to the beach or to dinner but most of the time I am just left to myself. I do have to wake up earlier than usually because either there is no breakfast for me(they keep the food in their room so if they leave I can't get to it) but thats OK. I don't have much to do in the evenings so I go to sleep earlier too. At home I usually stay late in front of the computer. I take my laptop on vacation too but for some reason I don't use it too much(1-2h a day, instead of 11h). Using it on pension rooms table while sitting on a pouf in unfamiliar place with weak gsm signal doesn't feel like home at all. Reading books, hunting for souvenirs or collecting shells on beach is more interesting.

BTW. If Internet is the problem in your case why don't you ask parents for a pension with wi-fi hotspot? They are common nowadays and you don't pay much more for a room like that. Recently my parents were choosing only those because my dad needs Internet to share photos with friends.

I love the holidays! It's usually during this time of the year I can feel like a little kid. No one can tell me to act like a grown up because it's well... the holidays! I've always loved this time of the year. However, I do hate how the holidays are being represented. It seems as though stores and other marketing use it as a way to get more money.

I like certain holidays and dislike some, it's weird with me.

Like for instance I love Christmas, always have since I was a kid. I still have trouble falling asleep on Christmas Eve. Easter I like too, same with New Years/Eve for the most part.

Not much a fan of Halloween anymore as in 2012 I was really sick and in 2013 my dad had to go to the hospital, so I now associate Halloween with being a kind of bah day.

I like holidays. Both holidays and school/college holidays. I only like holidays though because I plan them, so I know what we are doing and when. And for college holidays no one is in the house, because I live by myself, technically, so no one is in the house apart from me and the dog.

I enjoy making holidays special for my husband, kids, grand kids,friends, and a group of homeless people in Denver.I plan fun quiet activities for indoor activities [except the pinata] and more boistrous ones for outside.

Last year at AutHaven we had a Thanksgiving/Christmas type celebration. [ in February] I was told by several people that it was how they always had fantasized holidays should be. I think that holidas can be enjoyable to autistics when they know that everyone is really happy they are there and autistic space is respected.