* SPOKANE, WASHINGTON--In our house, the December ritual goes like this. We gather around the VCR, eggnogs in hand, and fidget until the movie begins. Opening scene: Christmas Eve 1944, the European theater, not far from the front lines. On an impromptu stage, two song-and-dance men in Santa hats soft-shoe for their fellow GIs. Then the dance number ends, and one of the hoofers steps forward. In a baritone of almost ethereal purity and strength he begins to sing, "I'm dreaming of ...