The Christmas Spirit

Chapter One

1977

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?

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.

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.

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.

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.

Pete glanced up from the menu. I thought you loved the tavern.

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.

I d think you d meet women left and

Debbie Macomber is a leading voice in women’s fiction. Fifteen of her novels have reached #1 on the New York Times bestseller lists, and five of her beloved Christmas novels have been hit movies on the Hallmark Channel, including Mrs. Miracle and Mr. Miracle. Hallmark Channel also produced the original series Debbie Macomber’s Cedar Cove, based on Macomber’s Cedar Cove books. She is as well the author of the cookbook Debbie Macomber’s Table. There are more than 200 million copies of her books in print worldwide.

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

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

This light, sweet Christmas novel is perfect for someone looking for a chaste love story with a happy ending. Booklist