Pete, the pastor of Light of Life Church in Bridgetown, a small town in northeastern Washington state, and Hank, owner and sole staff of the Last Call tavern in nearby Kettle Springs, are lifelong friends. Both are struggling with financial problems and overwork, and each thinks his friend has a pretty easy time. Desperate for a change, they agree to trade jobs for the week before Christmas.

This setup is intriguing, and some readers will appreciate the faith-based message that appears repeatedly. But Macomber makes an unfortunate decision to frame the story as a grandmother telling her grandchildren a “once-upon-a-time” tale. Every time the plot begins to generate some momentum, Macomber cuts away for an annoying grandmother-grandchildren scene. The grandchildren are annoying clichés lacking in personality. During romantic scenes, Lance places his hands over his ears. Lily is sensitive, artistic, and loves romantic scenes.

Readers are well-award that the boy(s) and girl(s) will overcome their initial disenchantment, fall in love, and commit to each other. The challenge in romance novels is creating original scenarios and populating them with engaging events. Aside from the original premise, readers will find a routine romance. Difficulties are overcome quickly and effortlessly, robbing the plot of any mystery or tension. The tedious cutaways to the grandchildren further diminish the story. There was potential here that Macomber failed to deliver. ( )

Very unbelievable. The first page of eery chapter of the ebook has desgns over the text. ( )

Peter Armstrong and Hank Colfax have been best friends since high school. Peter is a pastor and Hank is the owner and operator of The Last Call, a tavern. At a lunch where each lamented how much work each had to do, they decided to change places for several days before Christmas. Both find that doing their friend's job is much harder than expected. Along the way each finds a soulmate and falls in love. The book is constructed as a true story narrated by a grandmother to her two grandchildren. ( )

Such a nice holiday story. This one is set back a bit in time, to 1977. Hank and Pete are best friends from high school and still live two towns away from each other. The two meet for lunch monthly and on a whim (and hoping the other will see reason), they decide to switch jobs the week of Christmas. The best part is that Pete is a pastor and Hank, a bartender. Both quickly discover neither job is as easy as it looks on the surface. They make new friends and find a little romance along the way as the story reaches an unforgettable Christmas service. Macomber can always counted on to write a heartwarming tale for the holidays ( )

The Christmas Spirit by Debbie Macomber is a heartwarming Christmas story. I like the way this story was told. A grandmother is telling two of her grandchildren a story. The tale she tells takes place in 1977. There are chapters in the present with the grandmother and the kids plus the chapters in the past. This is a cute story. I liked the characters. Hank and Pete are the main characters. They have been friends since elementary school. They are having lunch and each one is complaining about their job. It is a busy time for both of them with Christmas only a week away. One of them proposes they switch jobs for the week. Pete, a pastor, will run Hank’s bar while Hank will handle Pete’s pastoral duties. Hank will have the added task of dealing with Pete’s sister and church secretary, Grace Ann who is not Hank’s biggest fan. It is an enlightening experiment for both men. There is plenty of humor. I laughed often while reading The Christmas Spirit. There is a scene with Pete, a biker gang, and darts that tickled my funny bone. There is romance for Pete and Hank as well. Miracles do happen during the holidays. I like Debbie Macomber’s writing style. It is conversational and friendly. I felt like grandma was telling me a story. I just loved the ending. This is one book that you will want to read straight through (make sure you have your hot cocoa and cookies nearby). The Christmas Spirit is a cheerful Christmas tale with a job swap, scrumptious snowballs, a dripping roof, a mulish mule, a biker challenge, a striking server, straightlaced secretary, a dour donor, and party planning. ( )