• I loved Christmas when my children were young because they enjoyed all the magic. • But it was also a hectic time that left me feeling very stressed. • Now that they're teenagers, there's still magic, but we think of the holidays differently.

I loved celebrating the holidays with my kids when they were little.

We have four children, so we had a lot of very excited little people jumping on the bed at 6 a.m. on Christmas morning. They'd wait impatiently on the stairs while their dad turned on the tree and made an elaborate display of roasting coffee — groaning and demanding that he hurry up.

When he finally released them to grab their stockings and open gifts, they'd tear down the steps. We'd have an hour or so of frenzied present-opening, with wrapping paper and bows everywhere and

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