13 years ago, I accidentally created a chaotic holiday tradition

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Thirteen years ago when my daughter was born, I had a plan for Christmas. No Elf on the Shelf. No extravagant stressful traditions where I would feel like I had to compete with other parents. Just fun.

I failed.

I love Christmas. It’s one of my favorite times of the year. My birthday is just six days before Christmas and I have always loved the twinkle lights and glittery decorations. I love the Christmas break, where people stay indoors and play games. Growing up, my family had a tradition of Christmas Eve pizza, I loved that too.

The tradition of Christmas Eve pizza was created in a year when my mom was overloaded creating Christmas magic. At the end of her rope, she ordered us pizza. We loved it.

With my kids, I wanted to make sure Christmas was always fun for me too. I didn’t want them to have a stressed and harried mom on the verge of a breakdown. And I didn’t want to be one. It’s Christmas, my time of year, dammit, I wanted to enjoy it.

So, the year my daughter was born little I bought a reusable advent calendar, with the plan of putting little candies in it. Nothing too extravagant.