Nice, compact write-up of Tinsel by Anna Davies on p. 209 of the November issue of Redbook, on newsstands now.

Anna was a solid interviewer and I am glad to be in Redbook (2.2 million circulation!), thus I am granting her very special dispensation from my ban on “Call it” leads, which I’ve campaigned against unsuccessfully for years. Anna did something smart with Tinsel — she translated it as a guide for harried Redbook readers to cope with Christmas problems and family dramas, with the headline “Your happier-holiday handbook”:

Call it the ultimate holiday drop-in. For three seasons, journalist Hank Stuever followed three very different families during December, trailing them on mall crawls, gift exchanges, and religious services, then chronicling his observations in his new book, Tinsel. Here, Stuever’s top three tips for making your holidays a little happier …

Oh, you want the three tips, do you? Well, you’ll just have to pick up a copy of Redbook at the checkout line, won’tcha?