I recently read Discovering the Christmas Spirit, and I just want to say thank you. Thank you for writing something so tender, so restorative, and so filled with quiet wisdom. Your novel doesn’t just celebrate Christmas it reclaims it, reminding us that healing, grace, and connection don’t need a season; they need presence. Each of the five passengers felt so real their stories, their wounds, their hopes. Watching them arrive in Christmas Carol Village and slowly soften into themselves was deeply moving. I especially appreciated the way you handled redemption: not as a grand event, but as something unfolding in small acts of kindness, reflection, and courage. I had tears in my eyes more than once, especially for Noel.

I just finished Discovering the Christmas Spirit and I have to say, it was a joyous, touching experience from start to finish. The way you wove together Marilyn, Derek, Cassie, Fran, and Oscar’s personal struggles against the backdrop of Christmas Carol Village was simply enchanting. I loved how their time in the village became not just a recovery, but a rekindling of gratitude, self reflection, and kindness. I especially felt deeply for Noel’s part in the story, it left me both emotional and uplifted.

Your novel beautifully captures the spirit of Christmas while reminding us that its core values, compassion, community, and connection, are ones we can choose to embrace every day.

I bought this book to support a local author ☺️ It’s a cute, heart-warming Christmas story, right up in the Hallmark Christmas alley. It’s a quick, very easy read. My copy has large font, which I appreciated (it’s my bifocals season).

Reading Discovering the Christmas Spirit on Christmas day was truly a delight. This feel good message delivered right up until the end. The characters were clearly developed and the author used creative cleverness in the names of people and places. There were also several surprising twists and I found I didn't want to put the book down. I definitely give this book a thumbs up.

Thank you, Stephen Murray, for your wonderful book, Discovering the Christmas Spirit. It is a lovely and uplifting tale to be enjoyed at Christmas time, as well as any day of the year.

Christmas can be a difficult time of year because, while it is, and should be, a celebration of faith, many of us struggle with relationship and other interpersonal issues. Current World events lend to the feelings of unrest.

This book is set in a town, Christmas Carol Village, where survivors of a crash find themselves. Trying to recuperate from injuries, they are embraced by the kindness of townspeople for whom the Christmas spirit lives every day.
As the survivors find new hope and inner strength, the reader rediscovers the joy of the Season.

Well done, Mr. Murray!

Well, I needed to get more into the Christmas Spirit. Christmas isn't easy for me and I needed to feel more Christmassy. I read Discovering the Christmas Spirit in one evening and it was just what I needed to feel some Christmas joy so I could ease into the holiday season with love in my heart.

Stephen Murray wove a beautiful Christmas story that was much more satisfying than Hallmark Christmas movies with their predictably trite plots. The characters were more real and had real problems that resonated with me.

The book's message was just what my heart needed this time of year!

What a wonderful story. I love a book you can’t put down. Easy read and very enjoyable. Looking forward to your next book. Thank for such a entertaining read.

I love this book! In fact, I’d describe it as the true meaning of Christmas wrapped up in shiny ornaments, tinsel, and cookie dough inside of a winter wonderland. Stephen Murray has created a world within a world quite like the snow globe depicted on the cover of this book. The story captivated my attention from the very first page, and I wanted to finish reading it in one sitting. Each character and plot revelation lifts you higher and higher. The main characters are reflections of everyday people, and that helps the readers relate to them even more. This book could easily become a Hallmark Christmas Movie classic with its inspirational and heartwarming story lines. If you like watching Christmas movies all year round as I do, then this is the book for you.

Modern life with its frenetic pace often leads us astray. It alienates us from friends and family and blinds us to some eternal truths about the meaning of happiness.

Stephen Murray, in his excellent book, Discovering the Christmas Spirit, provides a much needed counterbalance to these angst filled times with its message of taking a spiritual retreat, to ground oneself and better connect with others.

Its rich imagery of escape, contemplation, awakening and re connection spoke to my much neglected spiritual side and is the perfect tonic for long dark Winter nights.

What an absolutely delightful book about hope, healing, kindness, and compassion for our fellow man. Discovering the Christmas Spirit warmly tugs at heart strings and feeds an insatiable hunger all crave...a desire to belong, be accepted, and the ability to repair relationships or just connect with others. No matter the season, this book comes highly recommended. Readers may find a connection with these characters while spending time in a magical snowy quaint town.