For parents and teachers
Holiday social stories for autistic children: printable Thanksgiving, Christmas and Hanukkah stories
Yes. You can print a Thanksgiving, Christmas or Hanukkah social story today from the Special Learning store: each is a PDF download for $9.99. Below is how to use one in the week before the holiday, then the holiday stories we sell, holiday by holiday.
Jump to a holiday
A social story is a short story with pictures that tells a child what will happen in a situation and what they can do. Holidays bring new places, foods, faces and noise all at once, so a story read ahead gives your child a map of the day.
The week before: six steps to prepare for the day
These steps come from our free guides to holidays and routine changes, Christmas and using a social story at home.
- Read the story together on calm days. Read it a few times in the days before, when your child is relaxed, not in the middle of a hard moment, and again just before the holiday. Leave it where your child can look at it alone, and put a copy in the bag for the visit.
- Show who will be there and what will happen. Mark the days on a calendar, and use real photos of the house and the relatives you’ll see. Keep it honest, including the parts your child won’t love, like a long car ride or a noisy room. Send relatives one short message ahead: what tends to overwhelm your child, what helps, and that it’s fine if your child skips a hug or a group activity.
- Plan a quiet spot, and practice asking for it. Ask the host for a quiet room or corner, and show it to your child as soon as you arrive. Agree on an exit plan with another adult; leaving early is always allowed. Practice the words or signal for a break in play beforehand. The Thanksgiving story itself teaches one, in the child’s words: tell Mom and Dad, go to my room, and come back when I feel better.
- Make a picture schedule of the day. Put the real plan in order, one picture per step, with one thing your child loves on it, and keep “I need a break,” “Help” and “I feel scared” cards beside it. Our free Visual Schedule Maker prints one; it asks for your email first.
- Keep food low-pressure. Bring a food your child reliably eats if the menu is unfamiliar, and don’t make a new food a battle this week. Tell generous relatives what your child actually likes.
- Decide how presents will go. Gift bags or a label that says what’s inside take the surprise out. Presents can come one at a time, with a grown-up as the official opener. A thank-you can come in any form, such as a wave, a sign, a picture card or a drawing sent later.
After the holiday: many children have a harder few days afterward, even after a good day. Getting back to ordinary routines, meals and sleep is usually the way through. Where a story says to use words, your child’s own way of communicating, such as signs, pictures or a device, counts too.
The holiday social stories we sell
Prices are the Special Learning store’s prices on November 13, 2026, in US dollars, each paid in a single payment. These are digital downloads; printed copies are not shipped. Each store page describes what the story says, so you can choose the one closest to how your family celebrates. The Thanksgiving story includes a prayer before the meal; the Christmas, Hanukkah and church stories are written from a religious point of view.
Thanksgiving: Thursday, November 26, 2026
| Story | What it covers | Files | Price | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celebrating Thanksgiving | Traveling to see relatives, big and small gatherings, being asked to try an unfamiliar food, families that don't eat turkey, a prayer before the meal and saying what you are thankful for. When it gets too loud, the story's plan is to tell Mom and Dad, go to my room, and come back when I feel better. | 1 PDF, 19 pages | $9.99 | Buy in our store Also on TPT |
Hanukkah: begins at sundown Friday, December 4, 2026
| Story | What it covers | Files | Price | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How to Celebrate Hanukkah | Hanukkah from a Jewish family's religious perspective: the oil story, the hanukiah and the Shamash, blessings in Hebrew, gifts and dreidel, and telling parents about fear around candle lighting. | 2 PDFs, 28 pages | $9.99 | Buy in our store Also on TPT |
Christmas: Friday, December 25, 2026
| Story | What it covers | Files | Price | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Celebrating Christmas | Opens with Christmas as the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, then time with family and friends, careful tree decorating, waiting for presents with a deep breath and counting to 10, asking for help unwrapping, telling parents when you don't like a present, and asking for a turn. The PDF holds the illustrated story (pages 1-12) and a guide for using it (pages 13-18). | 1 PDF, 18 pages | $9.99 | Buy in our store Also on TPT |
Religious services
| Story | What it covers | Files | Price | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| How to Behave Appropriately in Church | Going to a church service with family and friends: nice clothes, sitting quietly and listening, asking for a break or a place with fewer people, and telling parents when a sound is too loud. | 1 PDF, 13 pages | $9.99 | Buy in our store Also on TPT |
Halloween
| Story | What it covers | Files | Price | Get it |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Halloween Kit 2026 | An 11-page Trick-or-Treat Night story, a two-page teaching guide (getting used to the costume in small steps, practicing the door routine, taking breaks), a visual schedule and a token board. Everything but the one-page Start Here guide comes in color and in a lighter version that is easy on ink. | 9 PDFs in one ZIP | $19.99 | Buy in our store Also on TPT |
| Getting Ready for Trick-or-Treating Learning Kit | A kit rather than a story: building costume tolerance, a Halloween visual schedule, a token board and tokens, trick-or-treat communication cards, and data sheets for trick-or-treating, costume tolerance and probes. | Digital download | $14.99 | Buy in our store Also on TPT |
Thanksgiving is Thursday, November 26: start reading this week
The Celebrating Thanksgiving social story walks your child through the visit, the meal and a quiet break, for $9.99, a one-time digital purchase you can print today.
Get the Thanksgiving story ($9.99)
Christmas or Hanukkah next? Celebrating Christmas and How to Celebrate Hanukkah are $9.99 each. See every printable social story by situation.
Questions parents and teachers ask
Is there a printable Thanksgiving social story for autistic kids?
Yes. Our Celebrating Thanksgiving social story is a 19-page PDF for $9.99. It covers traveling to see relatives, big and small gatherings, being asked to try an unfamiliar food, a prayer before the meal, saying what you are thankful for, and what to do when it gets too loud.
Is there a printable Christmas social story for a child with autism?
Yes. Our Celebrating Christmas social story is one 18-page PDF for $9.99: the illustrated story and a guide for using it. It opens with Christmas as the celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ, then covers time with family and friends, careful tree decorating, waiting for presents, asking for help unwrapping, telling parents when you don't like a present, and asking for a turn.
When should I start reading a holiday social story with my child?
Read it together a few times on calm days in the week before the holiday, and again just before it. Leave it where your child can look at it alone.
Related free guides
- How do I help my autistic child through holidays and routine changes?
- Christmas with your autistic child: a plan for the day and the visits
- Hanukkah with your autistic child
- How to use a social story at home: a step-by-step guide for parents
- Printable social stories for autism: which one fits your situation
- Printable visual schedules for autism: which one fits your routine
- Printable token boards and data sheets: which one fits what you’re teaching
Social Stories is a trademark of Carol Gray. Product details checked against the store on November 13, 2026.