Dancing for Tears

It's the holiday season and time to cry. So let us induce those tears with two stories of dancing.

First, all Chattanooga (Tenn.) Nola Beth wanted from Santa was one dance with her Iraq-stationed dad. Father and daughter got their ballroom dance, a memory for both when he returns to danger and she returns to life without him.

Second, there are the fathers filling out the corps as dancers with the Longview (Texas) Ballet Theatre's Nutcracker — not really a dad-friendly title, but a classic, nonetheless. They say they do it for their kids, but it's pretty clear the fathers are getting as much or more out of it for themselves.