Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Tinsel is a compelling tale of our half-trillion-dollar holiday, measuring what weve become against the ancient rituals of what weve always been. Washington Post reporter Hank Stuever searches for both the most outlandish cultural excesses and the secret beauties of the Christmas holiday in Texas
Synopsis
In Tinsel, Hank Stuever searches out the most outlandish cultural excesses as well as the secret beauties of modern America's half-trillion-dollar Christmas holiday. When Stuever's narrative begins, he's standing in line with the people waiting to purchase flat-screen TVs at Best Buy on Black Friday. From there he follows Tammy Parnell, the proprietor of "Two Elves with a Twist," a company that decorates other people's houses for Christmas; Jeff and Bridgett Trykoski, owners of that one house every town has with Christmas decorations visible from space; and single mother Caroll Cavazos, who hopes that the life-affirming moments of Christmas might overcome the struggles of the rest of the year. Steuver's portraits are at once humane, heartfelt, revealing--and very, very funny.