Two lifelong friends decide to trade places the week before Christmas and end up finding love along the way. Ahh, the perfect combo for the best Christmas story!

Told via "story-time" to her grand kids, Grace Ann tells the tale of her husband and brother, best friends who couldn't be more different. Peter, a pastor dedicated to his community, attending meetings, and preparing for the Christmas services and live nativity. Hank, a bartender serving customers at his family-owned tavern, including a handful of lonely regulars and the local biker gang.

Both think the other has it easier than them, which prompts the switch. To their surprise the responsibilities are similar, both harder than they each expected. They begin to see each other in a new light while each discovers a new love and their lives are changed forever.

Debbie McComber is the queen of holiday writing and the feel good stories of the season, always incorporating the true meaning of Christmas. This is a cozy feel-good Christmas novella.

Macomber's Christmas novels are a must a read every year for me. I loved that a grandmother is telling this story to her grandchildren. I enjoyed the switching places storyline and the romances between unlikely couples. It was a quick, heart warming read.

Title: The Christmas Spirit
Author: Debbie Macomber

Ch: 18 plus epilogue


Pg: 240


Genre: Contemporary


Rating: 4 stars


Publisher: Ballantine Books





One of my favorite Christmas traditions so to speak is to read the newest Debbie Macomber Christmas novella. Reading her Christmas novella's is like be wrapped in a warm hug. To me her books are better than Hallmark movies. Though of few her books have been turned into Hallmark movies. But I have to say that this one is a favorite. The Christmas Spirit is the story a Pastor Pete and a bar owner Hank who agree to switch places for the week leading up to Christmas because they both thing the other way has an easier job.



What follows is a story that reminds readers of the true importance of the Christmas Season. And that people of all walks a life. What also made this one different is that it's set in two different time frames. The main story takes place in December 1977. But it starts in the present day with a grandmother telling a story to her grandchildren. And as she tells it we the reader see's it unfold in December 1977. I finished this one in one day it's short 240 pages and 18 chapters plus an epilogue. But so much is packed into the 240 pages you won't want to put it down.





I received a copy of this book from the publisher through netgalley. I was not required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are mine alone.

This was the best book I’ve read in a long time that truly spread the message of Christmas. The characters were relatable and realistic, the plot was great, and I laughed throughout the book. Debbie Macomber has done it again! It will be one I reread yearly!

This has got to be my favorite book by this author. I loved the twist to the story within a story. There was so much comic relief that it made the book go fast. The heartwarming parts is perfect for the holidays. If you’ve never read this author before, it’s a great first timer. I can only hope this is one of her books made into a movie. Book provided by NetGalley.

This is a fast Christmas read with a warm Christmas heart. Best friends in high school, Pete and Hank have taken different paths but remain friends. Pete is a pastor and Hank owns a bar, in neighboring towns. After comparing how each has a worse life, they decide to swap jobs the week before Christmas. It is a great premise that is well-written and clever, with interesting, believable characters. Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Publishing Group, and Ballantine Books for providing an ARC.

I enjoyed this Debbie Macomber book. It followed her typical vibe and was a cute Christmas story. It did have the voice of the book male throughout parts which was slightly different than a lot of Christmas books.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for a copy to honestly review.

In the Christmas Spirit, a grandmother tells a surprisingly personal story of two friends to her grandchildren. The story is about Peter, a local pastor and Hank, a local bar owner, who decide to switch places. Each thinks the other's life is better and they run into surprises and romance. A touching Christmas tale with some twists.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC

Ready for a Christmas Rom-Com. I suggest The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber. A week before Christmas, best friends, Peter and Hank, who are polar opposites, compare their lives. Peter is a pastor of a church and Hank is a bartender. Upon arguing over who has a tougher life, the friends decide to switch places for a week. Peter then takes over Hank’s bar and Hank takes over the duties at Peter church. As a result, both are in for a few surprises and challenges. Macomber also throws in a few other colorful characters including a few strippers and bikers. The result is a hilarious Christmas story that readers will enjoy reading again and again! Maybe this will be made into a Hallmark movie?

A cute, heartwarming yet religious story of the history of a family; told through the perspective of the grandmother. A bartender and small-town pastor change places for the week before Christmas, setting off a chain of comical events. I loved the familial aspect of the story, and the religious aspect wasn't too much. Per usual, Debbie Macomber knocks her Christmas story out of the park!

Pretty typical light-on-substance Christmas reading. Unfortunately, way too much stereotyping of the dancers and the motorcyclists and the framing device of the grandkids was wildly annoying.

I loved this story!!! Debbie Macomber has become a go-to author for her Christmas offering and this one was beyond fun.

Two best friends, Peter Armstrong and Hank Colfax, couldn't live more different lives. Pete is the pastor of the local church while Hank is a bartender at the tavern he owns. Pete is dedicated to his flock, visiting and appeasing the most cantankerous, attending meetings, and at this time of year, preparing for the annual Christmas Eve live nativity service. Hank serves an entirely different group of people - his scruffy, lonely regulars, and the local biker gang. When Hank argues that Pete could never do his job, Pete thinks it would be a walk in the park compared to his. He challenges Hank to switch places with him for a week, knowing that this week, in particular, will be crazy busy. Is either man up to the challenges he'll face in the other's job?

I gotta say, I loved Hank. A less likely pastoral candidate, I've never seen, and yet, he knows just enough of his Bible to be dangerous to those who think they know more - including the church secretary, Pete's sister, Grace Ann. He regularly shines the light of God's grace, on Grace Ann's judgmental thinking. He tells off the old lady who has been holding the church hostage as their largest benefactor, making her pull her membership but then, he comes up with a way to make the money they need without Mrs. Millstone's (ironic, much?) help.

I also loved Pete. He does his best, but he's not a bartender, which becomes painfully obvious his first night with a packed house for Monday Night Football. He learns that Hank's job involves as much "counseling" as his job as pastor. He also connects with the woman he's been longing for from afar for months. Her plight brings out every protective instinct he has, and she's way better at bartending than he is, so hiring her seems smart but it's Hank's business. Will he agree?

I loved the scenes at the Christmas party Pete throws at the tavern. I also loved the scenes at the Christmas Eve church service, when all of the tavern regulars show up in all their "glory" and treat the Christmas story as an interactive event - yelling at the innkeeper who turns Joseph and Mary away to sleep in the stables. This made me giggle.

Readers who love Debbie Macomber's take on Christmas and a lovely romance (or two) will love this book. It's a sweet read - nothing I saw was too racy. It's a grandma telling an "in the beginning" story to her grandchildren, so kissing is the most the characters do (and every time that happens, the grandson covers his ears.) I read this in two sittings, but it can easily be read in one day. I definitely recommend!

I honestly don't think it would feel like Christmas without one of Debbie's holiday books. This one explores two friends that decide to switch jobs until Christmas Eve.

One is a Pastor and one is a Bartender, both filling peoples needs in a different capacity. Actually, like they say try to walk in someone elses shoes, it is never as easy as it seems and puts everything, including love, in a new perspective .

Debbie knows how to touch your soul, it was like a breath air.

Find out for yourself the magic of Debbie Macomber

(copy also to Goodreads)

The Christmas Spirit by beloved author, Debbie Macomber… the perfect book to kick off your holiday reading! A sweet "once upon a time" story told by a grandmother to her grandchildren. The twist is that her "story" really did happen once upon a time. Two best friends, each thinking the other has it easier than they do, trade places. One swaps out his stressful and busy pastorship for running his best friends bar, and the bartending friend leaves behind his
late night hours and nonstop work for what he thinks will be it'll be the easy job of being a pastor. The swap takes place right before Christmas and is set to last less than a week but the life lessons and positive changes for each man as well as others around them will stick with them all for a lifetime. The Spirit of Christmas will surely get you all in the spirit for Christmas!

I LOVED this book! I devoured it in a day.
The way the story was told was so heart warming and cozy. It put me in the Christmas Spirit and makes me want to spend time with my family and friends while decorating my house for The holidays.

What says the holidays more than a Debbie Macomber Christmas story!?! This is a gorgeous little Christmas story packed with all the good stuff for the holiday season in the typical Debbie Macomber style.! Seriously, you could not ask for much more than what this book gives! It’s sweet, it’s festive, it will melt your heart, and it will put you into the Christmas and holiday mood quickly. I look forward to her books each year and this one does not disappoint!

The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber is your not to miss Christmas book this holiday season. As soon as I get Debbie's new Christmas book, I immediately want to curl up with a blanket and coffee and read until I have finished the book. Its like your own personal little Hallmark movie right in your hands. Pick this up, you need this book in your life this holiday season!

Thank you NetGalley, Ballantine Books and Debbie Macomber for a digital ARC of this book. The Christmas Spirit is another warm and uplifting Christmas book from Debbie Macomber. Pastor Peter and bartender Frank are lifelong friends who lead very different lives, with each believing their’s is the most challenging. They decide to switch jobs right before Christmas. Lessons on life, acceptance and love are learned. Naturally, as this is a Debbie Macomber book, there is romance and a happy ending. Be sure to put this on your list of holiday reads!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an advanced copy. This was a sweet little story about stepping out of your comfort zone to see what you may be missing.

This was a fun, heartwarming Christmas story. It opens with a grandmother telling her grandchildren a story, one that starts "in the beginning" instead of "once upon a time." I hadto laugh at her grandson's aversion to anything with kissing, and her promise to warn him so he could cover his ears.

The story is about two men who have been best friends since high school. Though their lives are very different, they regularly get together for lunch and to catch up on each other's lives. During this lunch, each comments on the busyness and stresses of their jobs. Hank is the owner and sole employee of The Last Call, a tavern. Peter is the pastor of a nearby church, somewhat overwhelmed with the preparations for Christmas which is only a few days away. Each believes that the other has the easier life, and decide to switch places to prove it.

I loved seeing these two confident men get tossed into sink or swim situations. Peter's first night as a bartender was a real eye-opener. The bar is busy and he can't keep up with the orders. The customers get grouchy and Peter worries that he's going to wreck Hank's business. Matters become even more tense with the arrival of a motorcycle gang. They don't take well to Peter's ineptness or his cagy replies about what he does in real life. He's saved from disaster by the arrival of Millie, the waitress from the restaurant where he and Hank have lunch. She also works as a waitress at the local strip club, and knows the motorcycle gang from there. She rapidly defuses the situation and steps in to help Peter with the drinks. Peter offers her a job helping him after hearing her story, and looks forward to getting to know her better. Over the next few days, Peter finds his feet, discovers that his job and Hank's hve many similarities, and gets to know many different types of people he wouldn't have met otherwise.

Meanwhile, Hank promptly misplaces the list of duties Peter gave him. After settling in to watch a football game, he's not too happy to get a call from Peter's sister Grace Ann, fussing at him for missing his appointment to collect the donkey for the nativity play. Grace Ann is the church secretary, very uptight, and no fan of Hank. Hank, who had a crush on her in high school, delights in teasing her. When Hank admits losing the list, Grace Ann promises to make sure he doesn't miss anything. His first full day on the job goes south fast when he mortally offends the church's biggest donor. Grace Ann is horrified, Peter is accepting (and a little envious that Hank had the courage to do it), and the finance committee worried. I liked how Hank brought an outsider's fresh look to raising money. Over the next few days, Hank also discovers the similarities of their work as he listens to people's concerns.

I enjoyed seeing the romances develop between Peter and Millie, and Hank and Grace Ann. Peter and Millie are fairly straightforward. Millie worries about her past being an issue for Peter's church family. I loved Peter's confidence that everything would be fine, though you couldn't prove it by Grace Ann's initial reaction. Hank had a rougher time with Grace Ann. Since he knew her in high school, she has become uptight and judgmental, very different than the girl he remembers. I enjoyed seeing him call her out on her attitude and deliver some home truths she wasn't expecting from him.

The ending was terrific, with a Christmas party that brought together people from both their worlds. I laughed out loud at the description of the bikers singing Christmas carols, and Millie's former coworkers visiting with the missionary ladies from Peter's church. The hilarity continued on Christmas Eve as some of the patrons of the Last Call showed up for the service. The Christmas spirit was alive and well, all thanks to a little job sharing.

I liked the epilogue which provided "the rest of the story" about our two couples. It wasn't a surprise, but I enjoyed catching up on some of the more colorful characters.