The Other North Pole: A Washington Post Writer's Book About Christmas in Frisco

By Robert Wilonsky Fri., Jul. 24 2009 at 2:55 PM

Categories: The Unfair Park Book Club

This is probably a way-too-early heads-up, but I just opened the afternoon mail to find a copy of Tinsel: A Search for America's Christmas Present, due on bookshelves 'round November 12 -- just in time for all your gift-giving needs. And, trust me, those living up in Collin and Denton counties will want to take particular note of the tome, penned by Washington Post Style section writer Hank Stuever -- because, see, the whole thing's set in Frisco, where the Oklahoma City native lived on and off in 2006, '07 and '08 whilst documenting the the lives of Friscoans as they guzzled some holiday spirit.

And who might those families be? From Stuever's Web site, we find this sneak peek at Tinsel:

Tammie Parnell, a gated-community wife and supermom who runs her own Christmas decorating business. She charges her clients up to $1,000 a day to put up their artificial trees, garland and other trinkets, even as it distracts her from the cozy, perfect, family holiday she envisions.
Jeff and Bridgette Trykoski, who own that house every community has, the one with cars lined up around the block to see the lights display, which, at Jeff and Bridgette's place, dance in time to music. Now Jeff has been hired to create a display three times as big at Frisco's newly developed town square. But what's life like inside the brightest house in town?
Caroll Cavazos, a hardworking single mom who struggles stay upbeat during the production of her megachurch's Christmas pageant, focusing on the "reason for the season" even as she finds herself navigating the throngs at Best Buy at the Black Friday sales.

I never knew I wanted to know so much about the Centre at Preston Ridge and Fetal Fotos.

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