I went to a great reading tonight, a friend of a friend is finishing up his book tour. The author is Hank Stuever, a writer for the Washington Post, and his book is Tinsel: A Search for America’s Christmas Present. He was a great reader and the book sounds fascinating.
Hank spent 3 Christmases in Frisco, Texas to explore the heart of Christmas in today’s commercial America. He chronicles the season with 3 different families: one family is (in)famous for their outrageous, over the top christmas light displays; another he meets before dawn on Black Friday outside of Best Buy where they were urban camping for the best sale; and the third features a mom with a seasonal McMansion decorating business. (Who knew there was a market that for that?!)
I haven’t read the book yet but based on tonight’s reading, on one hand the book is about the gigantic economy of Christmas along with the excesses of the season. And on the other hand he brings into the life of the reader these families who let him into their lives. He came across as respecting, if not actually enjoying, each of the family’s own traditions irregardless of any of his preconceived notions.
You can pick that book up at your local bookstore. And you can see Hank talk about Tinsel on Craig Ferguson’s show Thursday night, check it out!