“The Christmas Spirit” by Debbie Macomber
⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Release Date: 10/18
Genre: Christian romance

This was a cute and quick read. It was kind of cheesy. Not my favorite of hers. If you are looking for a Christian Romance this is for you. I enjoyed her Christmas book last year a little more.

Hank and Peter have been best friends since grade school. Peter is a pastor of his church and Hank owns the local bar. They both think there job is way harder than their friend. They come up with the idea to switch places the week before Christmas. While they switch places they both learn new life lessons and find romance.

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The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber will do just what it says- put you in a Christmas spirit. It is a typical Macomber offering, full of normal people living life and finding unexpected joy.
While the story is simple and even predictable, the message is the point here. At Christmas we look for miracles. We look for love. And we find that in The Christmas Spirit.
Fans of Macomber will be delighted. Enjoy the holiday.

Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine books for this sweet ARC of The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber.

The Christmas Spirit, by Debbie Macomber, is a festively sweet Christmas romance, with a bunch of originally unlikeable, ridiculous characters who are filled to bursting with stereotypes and bad Christian rep. It’s the classic tale of a holiday swap, but this time it’s a pastor and a bartender, long time friends, who each consider their life more difficult than the others. Both are exhausted by their daily duties and in need of a respite. So, for a week leading up to Christmas, the two decide to trade places and roles with ultimately surprising consequences. This is a story told within a story, as a grandmother tells a nighttime tale to her two rather precocious grandchildren, hot cocoa in hand. However this time, it’s not a “Once upon a time”, but something a little different.

This plot contains two strong cases of insta-love and a lot of predictability, however, it’s still charmingly sweet, with a very important message and all of the feel-good vibes by the time you reach the conclusion. It’s short, light-hearted, easy-to-read and rather delightful, despite its simplicity.

#FirstLine - "Nana, Nana, "we're here, " eight-year-old Lance shouted, as he raced into the house ahead of his six-year-old sister.

I loved this books so much. Dare I say that Macomber is the queen of Christmas?!?!?! I think she really gets to the heart of the holiday season through her beautiful stories. It does not feel like Christmas until I read one of her amazingly sweet and heartwarming stories of the season. This year I needed a dose of Christmas in October!!! Who can blames me??? Christmas is the best and Macomber's books are sheer joy!!! The Christmas Spirit is a book about remembering what it is like to fall in love and what the Christmas holiday is all about. This story captures what it means to have faith and to truly believe in something greater than ourselves. A must read holiday story!!!

Another wonderful Christmas story by the queen of such stories, Debbie Macomber. Told by a grandmother to her grandchildren while babysitting one day, this is the story of 2 men trading work places for several days before Christmas. Best friends, one is a preacher, and one is a bartender, each one learns lessons about life and both find their loves. Interesting characters for all the subplots, the story weaves sublimely into both men trying to work the other’s job, and bringing the Christmas spirit to all. Loved this story

The Christmas Spirit was a fun Christmas story to read. While I enjoyed the main story, the part about it being told to two young children was not very believable. It should be made into a Hallmark special if it isn’t already. Enjoyable read, and the first Christmas book of the season.
Thank you to NetGalley and Ballantine Books for this ARC. All opinions are my own.

This is a Christmas Women's Fiction/Romance. I love the way this book was told because this is told by a Grandmother telling this story to her Grandchild. I felt that was a cute way to do this book. The story itself is great and it is a fun story. I think this book shows the real meaning behind Christmas. I really loved the characters, and there were so many different types of characters. The ending was so great. I was kindly provided an e-copy of this book by the publisher (Ballantine Books) or author (Debbie Macomber) via NetGalley, so I can give an honest review about how I feel about this book. I want to send a big Thank you to them for that.

Set your worries aside, grab a warm beverage, a cozy blanket, put away your bookmark (you won't need it) and settle in.

Debbie Macomber just gets better and better, truly a magical story teller. In The Christmas Spirit she manages to put the true meaning of Christmas into your hands. A doting grandmother decided to tell her two grandchild a story, not a fairy tale this time -per the request of her grandson. As the story starts we are transported to 1977 to Pete and Hank, best friends, but perhaps an unlikely duo. One owns a bar and the other is a pastor and they decide to switch places for the week. As you can imagine, they each discover that the other doesn't have it as easy as they originally thought. Their friendship grows, their community grows, and some unlikely friendships/alliances form.

This story is truly nostalgic and reminds me that no matter where you come from and no matter where you're headed -God will always welcome you with open arms.

My Christmas heart is truly happy -one giant hot chocolate cheers to you, Ms. Debbie Macomber. 🥹🎄❤️

Hank , a bar owner and his best friend Pete,a pastor have decided to change places for the week before Christmas. They both thought they would have no problem doing the others job. Of course ,they could not imagine the people and problems that would show up. One thing that caught them by surprise was the prospect of love.
Debbie Macomber has given us another heart warming Christmas story! This one you will really enjoy.

This is another sweet and light Christmas story by Debbie Macomber. It is full of the Christmas spirit. The thought of a pastor changing jobs with a bartender is intriguing. In both professions, they get a chance to meet people with problems who might need some help.

I don't think the premise of a grandmother reading the story to her grandkids is really needed, and it's a bit predictable. However, that doesn't matter in the long run because this book has everything you would want in a feel-good Christmas story, and more that you didn't expect.

Fans of holiday romance and cheer should pick this one up.

I received a free copy of this from the publishers via Netgalley. My review is voluntary and my opinions are my own.

The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber is a wonderful holiday read. What could be better than a Debbie Macomber Christmas story? Nothing. Ms. Macomber is an amazing story teller. This story, like so many of her other ones is heartfelt and beautiful. I was hooked from the very first page. So pick a cozy spot, grab a cuppa and enjoy this wonderful story from the Queen of fiction.
The short and long of it (no spoilers here) is that two life long friends decide to trade places the week before Christmas. One is a Bar Owner and one is a Pastor. Neither gentleman have any idea what is entailed in the others career. So they double dog dare each other so they can walk a mile in their friends shoes.
The story is told by a Grandmother who is retelling the story to her grandchildren. I think this is the only part of the book that I was surprised about. These two children are relatively young. I personally would not be discussing bikers, ladies of the evening, manipulative parishioners and other eye opening events that I feel were not age appropriate.
The point of the story is that we are reminded to love everyone as Christ does. The story shows how love can change people for the better. Yes there are several parallels to be drawn. Christ associated with sinners and he loved everyone despite their background.
Ms. Macomber’s settings were wonderful. You can picture the Church, the Tavern, and all the other places the author takes us to. They are very vivid in my mind. Her characters always have some sort of lesson to learn and as they do, their character becomes richer and deeper. A joyful book. I will anxiously await her next novel.
I would like to thank Debbie Macomber, Random House Publishing Group, Ballentine Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is another delightful Christmas story by Debbie Macomber. The basis of the story is that two best friends--a preacher and a bar owner--trade places for a week to show the other just how hard each of their lives are. Lessons are learned, friends are made and romances are started. I loved the biker gang and the strippers!

Macomber lays the story out for us in the form of a grandmother telling a story to two of her grandchildren. That little tweek was really cute and refreshing. This book is an easy one day read.

Thanks to Random House Publishing Group-Balantine and NetGalley for the gifted copy.

As I have loved all of Debbie Macomber's books this newest one is no exception. It is a darling story of swapping lives to see is the grass greener on the other side. If you are a Debbie Macomber fan you will love this book as well

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.