THE thrill of ESCAPE

Sara-Louise Ackrill's autism makes the big celebrations difficult, so what is it like to avoid the traditional festivities?

- Sara-Louise Ackrill

There's lots about the festive season I enjoy.

I love the food, buying gifts and catching up with friends - it's just the pressure of Christmas Day itself that I find completely overwhelming. Nine years ago, aged 38, I was diagnosed with autism and ADHD. It helped me - and those around me - to understand why, since my childhood, I couldn't see the point of it all. I cringed at the fake jolliness and hated being confined close to other people. Over the years, I've realised there's no right or wrong Christmas - it's a time we should all be permitted to do whatever we enjoy. And so I've explored many alternative ways to spend it, which might just inspire an adventure for you.

1 The magic of PANTO

Amateur dramatics first rescued me from Christmas. When I was 14, my parents, brother, sister and I all got involved with the local panto, and I loved it. It gave me a project to focus on, and rehearsals meant I could distance myself from the Christmas buildup.

The stage was great at providing an inclusive environment for me. At school, my classmates thought I was weird, but in the cast of Dick Whittington, playing Alice, Dick's love interest, I felt like I belonged.

At 16, I was a high achiever lined up to be head girl, but I ran away from our tiny Devon village to London, where I shacked up with an actor. It was a huge shock to everyone. My parents were upset, of course, but nothing they said could have changed my mind.

For the next few years, my full-time job was in the theatre, and when I wasn't onstage, I worked as assistant stage manager or front of house. But Christmas was all about panto - I was Nana the dog in Peter Pan