Should I hit my calorie goal every day?

No. The weekly trend matters more than any single day.

Days vary, weeks tell the truth

A birthday dinner or a big lunch does not undo your progress. What moves your weight is the average over weeks, not the outcome of one day.

What to do after a high day

Log it and move on. Skipping the log is the only real mistake, because unlogged days hide the pattern you are trying to see.