****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
I think this book was just terrific! Hank Stuever is a journalist for the Washington Post who takes 14 months off from the newspaper to immerse himself in the culture of Frisco, Texas and pays particular attention to the way Christmas is celebrated there. He follows the lives of three families in the area and how they deal with all the Christmas "stuff". A single mom with three kids, a childless couple, and a typical suburban family with mom, dad and two kids have their lives laid open for us as we get to see how they go about "doing" Christmas.This book appealed to me on my fronts. First of all, the town I live in is similar to Frisco - a fairly affluent suburb of a major city which is struggling to create a sense of itself as a separate town. I could really relate to his story of people giving you directions using stores as the landmarks (in my case, turn right at the Starbucks, just past the Kroger). Secondly, I am very, very split on my feelings around Christmas. Part of me absolutely loves it all and enjoys the music, food, festivities while the other part of me dreads the whole season. I usually end up feeling exhausted and promising myself to do it differently next year. As he examines how these three families deal with everything as well as a fairly introspective look at his own feelings about the season, I found myself with those light bulb moments where I realized I was not alone in my thinking. While the author describes himself as a cynic, I found him to be largely fair and balanced and a joy to read.This book is definitely not a light, easy, feel-good book about the season of Christmas, yet I found myself immersed in the book and read it all in a 24-hour period. A truly enjoyable read.
