Niko, my darling boy, is 13 this year. He has Williams Syndrome, and like a lot of kiddos with WS, he’s difficult to buy for. One year he asked for an escalator, and Santa pulled a few tricks out of his bag for that one. He doesn’t attach to typical things, generally. He doesn’t particularly care about gifts, and that hurts people’s feelings sometimes. They want to express their love through things that he’ll love and value, and unless you’re giving him a dryer or a washing machine, he isn’t really going to care. It’s an aspect of having a child with special needs that we don’t think about until it happen. Christmas isn’t supposed to be a time of ultra-sensitivity and despair. We’re not supposed to feel that gap between us widen.

So Niko’s main present this year was a stay at the Excalibur hotel here in Vegas. It was a night all about him. We bought his favorite foods, which are grapes and goldfish crackers, and ordered pizza.

We rode elevators, escalators, and caught Pokemon. Tomorrow we’re checking out the laundry room before strolling over to New York, New York to watch the roller coaster. It will be a perfect day for our sweet son. I’m so glad he has such great little sisters who are willing to support Niko Day. I know it isn’t easy for them to watch him struggle with day-to-day issues, but they’re good kids who love each other.

There’s something even better. My parents are coming down for Christmas and are inviting him to stay in their hotel with them. He gets to do this TWICE. You haven’t seen joy until you’ve seen Niko jump in the air, laughing and flipping his hands. His delight is so contagious! I can’t wait to see it again. 🙂