I really enjoyed this book. Two friends with very different lives decide to switch places, what could go wrong? Full of humor, love, hurt, and friendship this book had me up way past my bedtime so I could finish it. A great way to start the holiday spirit.

As the book is set as a grandmother telling her grandchildren a story, the book focuses around Hank and Peter who decide each other's job is so much easier than the other's. The week before Christmas they decide to change positions with Pete managing the bar that Hank owns and Hank managing the parish that Pete is Pastor. The book provides an idea of how a different perspective can improve circumstances. This was a great Christmassy read that will be perfect for the holidays. It had quite a few lessons that a lot of people could use (not just during the holiday season!) and teaches us to not judge a book by it's cover. This book is an easy one day read. This book captures all my favorite attributes of a holiday romance. As a reader, I recommend grabbing a hot chocolate, a blanket and snuggling up by a cozy fireplace to enjoy this read.

Thanks to Debbie Macomber, Ballantine Books, and NetGalley

A*R*C for honest review with no compensation Received from NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group 4.5 stars

The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber is a standalone holiday story that is filled with the Spirit of Christmas.

What happens when two best friends decide to change places (jobs) right before the holidays, a preacher and a bar owner. Change perspective, new friends, romance, storytelling, some drama, smiles and heartwarming story.

Debbie Macomber is my go to author for Christmas stories. Debbie Macomber, thank you so much for this beautiful, heart touching story. The Christmas Spirit is absolutely no exception and not a story you want to pass up this Christmas season.

This was a pretty quick read for me. It was full of Christian examples of how to treat others and also a good dose of Christmas cheer.

Pete the pastor and Hank the bartender think that the grass is greener on the other side so they decide to switch places for a week. The week they choose happens to be the week before Christmas so there is a lot going on in both of their lives already.

As the week goes on, Pete meets some very interesting characters including strippers and bikers but he is determined to treat them with respect and fairness. Hank encounters a few challenges of his own while he is tending the church. Both men handle their situations with grace and learn a lot about themselves.

The book wraps up with a unique Christmas service and a meeting of both worlds! It was a great story about respect, love, understanding, acceptance, and the true Christmas Spirit. I was definitely entertained by reading the humorous feel-good novel!

The first seasonal book of 2022, Debbie Macomber is the perfect choice. Her sweet, small-town romances are the perfect way to start off the Christmas Season. Peter and Hank are best of friends, when they decide to change places, they both expect to have an easy time adjusting. Instead, they find the grass is not always greener on the other side. Both men in their new positions learn a lot about life and they also find ways to help others.

I love the way that the author wrote this book. It was told by a grandmother to her grandchildren. The little girl was all about the romance while the little boy loves the action and the motorcycle guys. I found it so easy to relate to. I felt like I was sitting right next to the grandmother as she was telling the story.

The Christmas Spirit is the perfect way to start my Christmas reading and I look forward to reading many more.

This was a fun book to read. Peter is a pastor, and Hank is a bartender at his family owned bar, and they are best friends. Over lunch, Peter tells Hank he has an easy job compared to him, so they decide to switch places until Christmas Eve. They both in their line of work deal with spirits.
It is interesting reading how it unfolds, the different people they meet, how they do the other person's job so differently, There were gentle reminders about things, and sometimes it is the way you look at something but when you look at it differently, it looks different. Then you add the Christmas Spirit, and we will see if it brings out the best in people, if Hank and Peter can do the other person's job without damage control being needed, and how it is come Christmas Eve. I really did enjoy reading this book.
I received an ARC from Ballantine Books through NetGalley.

I love the friendship between Pete and Hank. They certainly had a good growing experience in their adventure. I enjoyed Nana telling the story to her grands. This is a great Christmas story and a wonderful Christian story. The story and the characters on great. Another winner by Debbie Macomber. I received this book from NetGalley, but my opinion is my own.

Thank You #NetGalley #Random House #Debbie Macomber I received an ARC of this wonderful book.

I love Christmas in July! I love the way this story was told through the 3rd person. The grandkids were funny.

Debbie Macomber hit this one out of the park. I always look forward to Debbie's Christmas books. This one did not disappoint!

This is heartwarming story that shows us how to look at things from a different point of view.

The characters in this story are very likable. I really enjoyed this heartfelt story. I could picture the scenes in my head as I was reading! Debbie did a great job with the descriptions.

Who would have thought a bartender and a Pastor would turn out to be similar in profession?

As Lily and Lance were dropped off at their Nana's house, they were excited. Hoping to bake cookies, Nana had a busy so she said she would tell them a true story. Lily thought is was going to be a once upon a time story only it was in the beginning. Hank and Pete were best friends. They went to high school and each went their own way for college but always stayed in touch. Each complained that each other had it easy. So they decided to switch it up for a few days. Pete was going to work at Hanks tavern and Hank was going to work at Pete's church till Christmas. Little did they know that this would change them profoundly. Hank always had feelings for Grace, Pete's sister. Now he has the time to get to know her. Pete in the meantime has feelings for Millie, a waitress. When Christmas arrived, there were bikers and saints all at church at the same time. The Lord was working in mysterious way.

A well-written, feel-good Christmas story about walking a mile in someone else's shoes and remembering the true sentiment behind the Christmas holiday.

I appreciated the uniqueness of the characters and the message about not judging others. By biggest criticism is that I find the plotline with the Pastor's romance a bit far-fetched. Obviously, church attendance is not the only representation of someone's faith, however, it seems unrealistic that a Pastor (whose entire life purpose is teaching the Bible) would decide within the span of a week that he's going to marry someone who doesn't seem to profess any faith at all. (Perhaps she does - but we don't see or hear about it at all.)

This is exactly why I love Debbie Macomber. She told this story in a unique way by having the grandmother tell her grandchildren a true story that they find out who it's about at the end. The characters throughout the story were great, & it was nice to be reminded what the holidays are about...kindness & love. We could all use a little more of that. Highly recommend reading this book!

Thanks to the publisher & NetGalley for advanced copy in exchange for my honest review

I absolutely love Debbie Macomber and her Christmas books are always a treat! The Christmas Spirit her 2022 Christmas book comes out tomorrow - October 18th

Two lifelong friends decide to trade places the week before Christmas and help others learn the true meaning of Christmas and maybe find love in the process. Hank owns a local bar and Peter is a pastor and they find that while they may serve different people their jobs are similar.

This was such a feel good Christmas story! I liked Peter and Hank and some of the funny situations they got in trying to do each other's job!

It's not Christmas season until I've read a Debbie Macomber book. Check this one out!

Peter Armstrong and Hank Colfax are best friends living very different lives. They have been friends forever, but both believe the other has it easier than he does. So naturally they decided to switch lives the week before Christmas. Peter is a local pastor and Hank is a bartender. Both interact with the public, both must be good listeners, and both are so wrong about how easy the other has it work wise. When the switch places, they learn more about each other and themselves. Plus, along the way, each finds love.

I enjoyed Debbie Macomber books but don't read them very often for some reason. I’ll need to change that. This book reminded me what I enjoy about her writing. She writes likeable characters that I grow to care about. She also writes about community, coming together and helping others. All the things that put a smile on my face.

This was a charming tale which begins and ends with a grandmother telling a story to her grandchildren. It was sweet and full of good cheer! If you are looking for a lighter book that can easily be read in one day, this may be for you.

The holidays always start for me with a Christmas book by Debbie Macomber. The Christmas Spirit is a different one from her usual ones but one that is very good indeed. Two friends decide to change jobs for the week. What an eye opening experience this is for these two men.

Besides finding that their careers as tavern owner and small town paster are more similar than either would have ever believed they also find out each job has its difficulties. What’s more is that each of these single men find love along the way too. What a marvelous book as each man has grows in perspective.

A true enlightening Christmas story in the Debbie Macomber tradition that we have come to know and love. Recommend to all fans of Christmas and stories of the holiday season.

The publisher through Net Galley provided a digital ARC. I have voluntarily decided to read and review, giving my personal opinions and thoughts.

The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber is another light hearted, feel good book. Grandma has been asked to babysit her grandchildren. They always love her stories. This time, grandma let them pick out the names for the story. They chose grandpa Pete and grandpa Hank. Grandma tells them a Christmas story about two men who changed jobs for a week. Pete is a pastor and Hank owns a bar. They each thought the other one had the easiest job. They soon found out that they both had challenging jobs in different ways.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books and Debbie Macomber for the ARC for my honesty review.

What a heartwarming story told in the present time of past events. A grandmother shares a story with her two grandchildren one night while babysitting. It's a story of two best friends, a pastor and a tavern owner, who decide to switch jobs the week before Christmas.

It's also a wonderful holiday story of acceptance, understanding, and forgiveness.

Netgalley and the publisher gladly shared an ARC of this book with me. The review is my honest opinion.

This was a very sweet storyline, reminiscent of The Princess Bride in the storytelling to grandchildren and the boys loathing of kisses. The book is about perception and putting yourself in someone else's shoes. What could a pastor and a tavern owner have in common? More than you could possibly know. This is the story of two couples who would seem like they wouldn't work but totally do. Enjoy the book.

The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber is everything and more we have grown to love from this holiday writing queen! I really enjoyed this heartwarming, feel-good holiday story told by a grandmother to her grandkids and featuring to best friends, Peter and Hank who switch places for a week right before Christmas. Each man thinks the others' lives are easier but Pastor and Bar Owner quickly discover that couldn't be further from the truth. Full of small town charm, romance and lots of 'Christmas spirit' this is a lighthearted read sure to make you smile.

The Christmas Spirit
by: Debbie Macomber
Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books
release date: 10/18/2022
genre: General Fiction (Adult), Romance, Women's Fiction

The cold week preceding Christmas Eve becomes quite spirit filled when two best friends, Hank and Pete exchange jobs for a week in small town Washington State. Pete, the pastor at Light for Life Church in Bridgeport becomes bartender for Hank at The Last Call tavern in Kettle Springs, and vice versa. These two endearing bachelors quickly find that the grass, or in this case Christmas garland, is not greener on the other side in Macomber's heartfelt holiday tale.

The antics and endeavors of Pete and Hank, along with their co-workers and townspeople, kept me laughing and enthralled. Although full of fun and romantic anticipation, this story is tenderly told from the perspective of a grandmother telling the tale to her two grandchildren. As Christmas approaches, lessons are learned both in the bar and at the church about acceptance, second chances, and coming together in community for the greater good. The ambience of this book brought me joy, with snowy wint
er days and the warmth found inside a small church at Christmas. I love stories that highlight friendships such as the bond of Pastor Pete and his bartender buddy, Hank.

Thank you to Net Galley and Random House Publishing Group - Ballantine, Ballantine Books
for the advance reader's copy and opportunity to provide my unbiased review.