My name means ‘leader of elves’, so it seems fitting to dress up like an elf every December! My jumper has bells that jingle, I wear a Santa hat and my boots are shaped like pixie toes. 

This is my outfit for the DiverseUK annual Christmas meal in Bristol, which I have been running for the past ten years. It is very busy and tricky to manage, as we have up to 90 people attending each year. 

The planning starts in September, when I meet with our venue to discuss our needs and reserve the large area of the pub for us. Once the menus are published, I add them to my spreadsheet. This spreadsheet has been designed by me to automatically add up who has which courses, what they’re having, how much they’ve paid/are due to pay, and where they’ll be sitting.

People are asked if they would like to sit in a quiet area and what they would like to eat. Orders and monies are taken as they are placed and stored safely with the corresponding table numbers. Envelopes, with the table number on the front and people’s names and food orders on the back, are written out – about 40 in total. Also on the back is the name of the person to contact if there’s a problem with their meal order. Once, we had six chocolate sundaes for one person before we put this system in place!

I really enjoy being DiverseUK’s elf and my spreadsheet helps us keep track of who’s ordered what and what money is due. Autism is my strength for organising this annual successful event. 

For Christmas itself, I have a mince pie every day for the 12 days of Christmas, and I like to watch Santa Claus: The Movie and Top of the Pops over the seasonal break. 
 

Tip: Why not use a spreadsheet or list in a format that works for you to help plan Christmas meals, who will be there and what everyone will be eating? You could even create your own menu to allow everyone to choose what they will eat and make it into a fun activity that offers choice.