'Tinsel' finds Christmas to spare in Texas

In spite of his career as a pop-culture reporter, at some point Hank Stuever realized that he might actually be out of touch with an entire swath of American culture and society. Concerned and curious, he dove into a study of "the single largest event in American communal life": Christmas. In 2006 he headed for Frisco, Texas, land of explosive population growth, big-box stores and megachurches, "seeking whatever Christmas was left in [him] by venturing to a place that appeared to have plenty of Christmas to spare."

Although Stuever chats up many while in Texas, "Tinsel: A Search for America's Christmas Present" revolves around three people in particular, and their families. He becomes an assistant (or "elf") to Tammie Parnell, a housewife who runs her own Christmas house-decorating business perhaps a little too enthusiastically; hangs out at the home of Jeff and Bridgette Trykoski, where Jeff installs 50,000 Christmas lights every year and computer-choreographs them to blink to music; and shops and attends services with Caroll Cavazos, a single mother of three who is close to her 10-year-old daughter and devoted to her megachurch.

When not getting to know the above individuals, Stuever can be found wandering around, people-watching in a giant local mall (on a daily basis!), attending church services large and small, or visiting large holiday craft bazaars. Tucked between these narratives are interesting asides on such topics as the history of north Texas, Christmas lights, or Christmas as we know it today, including a brief inquiry into the historical (in)accuracy of the Nativity story. And of course, the massive economic significance of the holiday is frequently addressed.

Given his avowed skepticism and outsider status, one might expect Stuever to approach Frisco and its residents condescendingly. While it's true that he doesn't approve of some aspects of Frisco culture, it's not so much the homogeneity of the big-box stores or the holy-rolling, former power-lifting evangelist Pastor Keith. In a short chapter toward the end of the book, Stuever expresses concern over Frisco residents' poor awareness of local issues and history, as well as the world beyond Frisco, writing that "Often Frisco is a world of cheerful zombies, who move among containers (home, mall, car) as if in a narcissistic family-first and property-values haze."

Those, however, are possibly Stuever's harshest words about the Friscoans. In fact, what stands out most in "Tinsel" is Stuever's genuine interest in his subjects. He becomes mesmerized by both nameless shoppers in the mall and by his individual subjects: Tammie and the Trykoskis' desires to bring happiness to others, and Caroll's strong faith. While "Tinsel" may have initially been motivated by a deficiency in understanding of the Christmas experience, Stuever's fascination with and empathy for the human experience are abundant.

Kim Hedges' reviews have appeared in the San Francisco Chronicle, the East Bay Express and Bust magazine. She lives in San Francisco.