I was on 14th Street in Manhattan, New York, with a group of friends. It was snowing out. Gentle flakes fluttered downward, muffling the sound of traffic. I could feel the soft squish squish of the fresh snow beneath my feet.

It was December. We had just finished buying loads of toys for homeless children. With an overflowing bag in each hand, we squished squished our way down 14th Street.

A friend and I decided to stop into a Starbucks for an injection of warm coffee. The rest continued down the street.

After our coffees, we came out and saw the others one block down the street. They were bustling into a taxi. A neon-yellow toy almost popped out of one of the bags as a friend kneaded into the packed cab.

I turned to my friend. "Let's take the subway there."

My friend's eyes lit up. "Yea! Let's show Manhattan that we're out Christmas shopping. Let's spread some Holiday Spirit!"

Smiling, we squished squished our way to the Union Square station.

I could almost see the fade out; like a movie, as the dream came to a close. I woke up and sat in bed for a few minutes, trying to recollect the oddly cheerful dream. For those first few minutes, I couldn't tell if the dream was a real memory or an actual dream.

It was seven in the morning. I almost never wake up that early. But this time I couldn't fall back asleep. The odd dream imbued me with a strange sense of Holiday Spirit.

Smiling, I put on "New York State of Mind" by Billy Joel as I got ready for work.

. . .

Are you feeling the holiday spirit?