The Christmas Spirit din Debbie Macomber
A Novel

Categorie: Bücher
Pagini / Format: 240 S
Anul apariţiei: 2022
Editura: Penguin Random HouseBallantine Books
Limba: Englisch
ISBN: 9780593500101

With almost all of Debbie Macomber s novels, the reader is not only given a captivating story, but also a lesson in life.New York Journal of Books<br><br>Bestseller and Hallmark Channel stalwart Macomber (Dear Santa) does it again with a candy cane sweet holiday romance about two friends who swap lives for a week before Christmas. . . . An eclectic supporting cast including cadres of strippers and bikers and a comically disastrous climactic Christmas Eve church service make the narrative shine bright. It s exactly what readers want from a Macomber holiday outing.Publishers Weekly<br><br>This light, sweet Christmas novel is perfect for someone looking for a chaste love story with a happy ending.BooklistChapter One<br><br>1977<br><br>Hey, man, sorry I m late, Hank said, as he slid into the red upholstered booth at Mom s Place across from his best friend. He was running on less than five hours sleep, and his day was only getting started. Did I keep you waiting long?<br><br>No, I was late myself. Pete had always been the responsible, prompt one. It surprised Hank to learn his pastor friend could be late for anything.<br><br>The waitress came with a coffeepot, and both men turned over the beige mugs to be filled. Pete smiled at her as she handed them menus and then swiftly left. Hank noticed how Pete s gaze lingered over the waitress as she returned to the counter and refilled another customer s cup.<br><br>I m telling you, these long hours are killing me, Hank said, as he wiped a hand down his face. His eyes burned, and he couldn t remember the last time he d had a decent meal. As different as they were, they had continued a friendship after Pete had graduated from seminary and returned to Bridgeport. Pete looked every bit the pastor with his clean-cut looks, while Hank was often mistaken for a hippie, with his long hair and the casual way he dressed. Scruffy jeans and a T-shirt were his standard uniform, whereas he suspected his friend hadn t worn blue jeans since his college days.<br><br>Hank was the owner, manager, bartender, and chief bottle washer for the tavern The Last Call. Mom s Place, where they routinely met for lunch every month or so, was halfway between their two towns, Pete in Bridgeport and Hank in Kettle Springs. I didn t get away from the tavern until after two this morning. Some days I swear I get less than three or four hours sleep a night. This job s a killer.<br><br>Pete glanced up from the menu. I thought you loved the tavern.<br><br>I do. I always knew I d be taking Dad s place one day. I looked forward to it. The regulars are great and keep me in the black, but I have no life. I haven t been on a date in six months.<br><br>I d think you d meet women left and right, Pete said, before taking a sip of his coffee.<br><br>I do. Lots of great women. I thought I d be married and have a couple kids by the time I hit thirty.<br><br>Why aren t you? Pete asked.<br><br>Clearly, Hank s lifelong friend had no understanding of what managing a tavern entailed. There s a big difference between meeting lots of women and having time to actually date. I work fourteen hours a day and sometimes longer.<br><br>Pete frowned. Hire someone.<br><br>Hank snorted. Pete made it sound easy. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find good help these days? I tried taking on a part-time bartender, and he drank all my profits. It s a slim enough profit margin as it is. At the rate he was drinking, I was about to go out of business. The thing is, if I need to be there to keep an eye on the staff, I might as well do without.<br><br>After a brief hesitation, Pete acknowledged Hank s dilemma: Gotcha.<br><br>Having my own business takes every spare minute I have. If I m not at the bar serving drinks, then I m in the office doing paperwork. Keeping up on the orders or dealing with the taxes. I swear it s one headache after another. Do you have any idea how much effort goes into the accounting aspect of being a business owner?<br><br>Well, yes . . .<br><br>Oh, come on. Hank gave a short laugh. You re a pastor. The church doesn t pay taxes or struggle with money hassles.<br><br>Pete nearly spewed the coffee out of his mouth. You have no idea! Pastoring a church is no walk in the park.NEW YORK TIMESBESTSELLER Two lifelong friends decide to trade places the week before Christmas and end up finding love along the way in this delightful novel from the queen of holiday stories, #1New York Timesbestselling author Debbie Macomber.<br><br>Peter Armstrong and Hank Colfax are best friends, but their lives couldn t be more different. Peter, the local pastor who is dedicated to his community, spending time visiting the flock, attending meetings, and, with the holiday season approaching, preparing for the Christmas service and live nativity. As a bartender, Hank serves a much different customer base at his family-owned tavern, including ahandful of lonely regulars and the local biker gang. <br><br>When Peter scoffs that Hank has it easy compared to him, the two decide to switch jobs until Christmas Eve. To their surprise, the responsibilities of a bartender and a pastor are similar, but taking on the other s work is more difficult than either Peter or Hank expected. As the two begin to see each other in a new light and each discovers a new love to cherish their lives are forever changed.<br><br>InThe Christmas Spirit,Debbie Macomber celebrates the true meaning of the holidays and the inclusive community spirit that binds us all.USDebbie Macomberis a leading voice in women s fiction. Fifteen of her novels have reached #1 on theNew York Timesbestseller lists, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel, includingMrs. MiracleandMr. Miracle.Hallmark Channel also produced the original seriesDebbie Macomber s Cedar Cove,based on Macomber s Cedar Cove books. She is as well the author of the cookbookDebbie Macomber s Table. There are more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide.

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