Photo: Maxim TolchinskiyChristmas is usually a time of great tension and drama for people who have ADHD. There, I have said it out loud.

The reasons for this are varied and complex.

The first reason is that it is the holiday season, when most families are together. For the rest of the year, ADDers can avoid family get-togethers.

There are probably still resentments hanging over from last Christmas. These were likely to have been minor at the time, but they have had a whole 12 months of vivid brooding

There will be expectations that are not going to be met - on all sides. I remember in my tween and early teen years being "hurt" by the fact that the only gift my parents and extended family thought I needed was socks!

Financial issues are also culprits. There are expectations from spouses about how and where to spend the vacation, and considerations about which gifts are to be delivered by the rotund fella dressed in red; this is usually a recipe for disaster.

Despite all the gloom and doom above, this can be a glorious time of love and happiness. Next Christmas actually starts when this one ends.

You have 11 months to listen for gift ideas; you can even ask around what gifts might be acceptable to family and friends. A great way to choose gifts is to buy or create yourself, those presents that will be treasured! Float different destinations by creating information packs of brochures, or even videos showing what can be enjoyed.Photo: Getty Images on Free Images

Ask each family member to do a presentation on where they would like to go and why. If you pay attention, you will be able to create a very accurate list of suitable gifts.

You can even plan for a mega holiday every 2 or 3 years, taking cheaper holidays in between - even staying home for one year.

But at the end of the day, the destination is not actually the most important criterion. It's what you do while on vacation! Some of the best holidays I have had in my life are when we stayed at home, but we had fantastic times, full of joy and laughter.

At the end of the day, vacations are what YOU make them, how you plan, how you act, and how you react!