I was sitting at the table this morning, drinking coffee, after doing a few chores, when Shawn looked at me sharply. He told me not to move before he stood to hunt up a weapon. Naturally I looked around and less than a foot away, a spider dangled, spinning gently on the air currents from the heat register. He came and killed the dangling monster, and after I peeled myself…

Christmas in my family has to do with gathering, exchanging gifts, ideas, and getting to know everyone’s stories and most recent adventures. It rarely includes sports, often has interesting food, and the activities range from games to conversation. It always goes off without a hitch despite the odd kitchen disasters, like spilled sticky stuff, explosions of flour, or anything else, because it is all done together. Drama is a natural…