A skeleton dances when the front door swings open, drawing my latest customer inside. I go overboard decorating, but this season is the bread and butter for shops like mine. In January, I might spend weeks without pulling cards for anyone, but come October, even the most devout Catholics know the veil between the world ...

I rush home from school. This may be the night. This is our chance to be a normal family. All the insanity waits beyond the wooden dining room table. Nothing else carries the weight of the dinner ritual. If done correctly, it eases my family into the illusion of a peaceful evening; if not, it ...