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The St. Petersburg Times is publishing The Holly Wreath Man, a fictional story about the tide of progress and the power of love that binds families together. An installment will appear daily in Floridian (in Taste on Wednesdays) through Dec. 25.
TODAY'S STORY
STORY ARCHIVE
December 25, 2005
 Chapter 25: The Holly Wreath Man
December 24, 2005
Chapter 24: A dream come true
December 23, 2005
Chapter 23: Allie's choice
December 22, 2005
Chapter 22: Tennyson's gift
December 21, 2005
Chapter 21: Turner's gift
December 20, 2005
Chapter 20: Pop's gift
December 19, 2005
Chapter 19: Shutdown
December 18, 2005
Chapter 18: A hot tip
December 17, 2005
Chapter 17: Making amends
December 16, 2005
Chapter 16: Making the case
December 15, 2005
Chapter 15: Fallout
December 14, 2005
Chapter 14: Gotcha!
December 13, 2005
Chapter 13: Pop's Secret
December 12, 2005
Chapter 12: The country code
December 11, 2005
Chapter 11: Dirt poor
December 10, 2005
Chapter 10: Last chance
December 9, 2005
Chapter 9: An honest man
December 8, 2005
Chapter 8: The betrayal
December 7, 2005
Chapter 7: Proposal
December 6, 2005
Chapter 6: The thief
December 5, 2005
Chapter 5: The show starts
December 4, 2005
Chapter 4: Snowed in
December 3, 2005
Chapter 3: Homecoming
December 2, 2005
Chapter 2: Found and lost
December 1, 2005
Chapter 1: Missing
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ABOUT THE HOLLY WREATH MAN
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[Times photo: Cherie Diez]
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Poynter Institute writing coach Christopher Scanlan and his wife, Katharine Fair, in their home office at their matching side-by-side desks. Working in their Pass-a-Grille home, they recently completed a story they envisioned 30 years ago about a harried executive who learns the true meaning of Christmas.
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A long-awaited Christmas gift
It's a wonderful life all right for a couple who, after nearly 30 years, publish a holiday story that might head to TV.
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Christopher Scanlan was working as a reporter for the Delaware State News 30 years ago when he happened upon a story about a bygone industry.
During the first half of the 20th century, many farmers supplemented their income at holiday time by selling handmade wreaths to city dwellers. But by the time Scanlan wrote his story in the mid 1970s, the business had died because of strict fire codes and competition from artificial decorations.
Scanlan and his wife, writer Katharine Fair, decided to explore what would have happened if things had turned out differently. The Holly Wreath Man is the result of their many years of on-and-off work. First published as a newspaper serial in 2003, it is now available as a hardcover book (Andrews McMeel, $9.95).
Scanlan has worked as a feature writer for the St. Petersburg Times and national correspondent for Knight Ridder Newspapers. He is now a senior faculty member in writing at the Poynter Institute, which owns the Times. Fair, a freelance writer, was for four years the editor of Re Advisory News. They live in St. Pete Beach with their three teenage daughters.
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