Debbie Macomber's "Dear Santa" Novel Lives Up to the Hype

Dear Santa Plot Summary

Lindy Carmichael is a talented graphic designer who returns home for Christmas while she waits to hear whether the proposal she's just completed will propel her career in the direction she's always dreamed and finally earn her the acceptance of her co-workers. Since it's also been six months since the man she thought she'd marry left her for her best friend, the holidays aren't quite as merry this year.

Debbie Macomber's "Dear Santa" book review

Dear Santa is another cozy, heart-warming holiday read from Debbie Macomber.

To cheer her up, Lindy's mom shows her a box of old letters Lindy had written to Santa when she was a child. What's interesting is that all of her wishes had been granted, though some in unexpected ways. Lindy's mom encourages her to write Santa a new letter this year. The idea seems a little childish, but the exercise is a good one--organizing her thoughts into a letter helps Lindy focus on what's most important to her and bolsters her faith to believe in miracles.

While she is home, Lindy crosses paths with an old classmate who aggravated her so much as a child that she'd ask Santa to leave him coal for Christmas. As Lindy and Billy spend time together, they start to fall in love, but once Christmas is over, Lindy will be leaving town to resume her life in Seattle. She resolves to enjoy a fun little romance for the holidays and keep it at that.

Lindy gets the chance to sit on Santa's lap again, just for the sake of whimsy, but it's a little unnerving how much Santa seems to know about her. He promises to answer the three wishes included in her new letter to him: a new best friend, a new love interest, and acceptance of her work proposal. Little does Lindy realize that for all three requests to be answered, she must end up sacrificing two of them.

Dear Santa Is a Book About Forgiveness & Miracles

Debbie Macomber skillfully weaves tenets of faith throughout many of her works, and Dear Santa is no exception.

Imagine your best friend and roommate betraying you by hooking up with the person you think is "the one." Though everyone's circumstances vary, at some point in life, we are all hurt by someone we love or trust. We can allow the pain to weigh us down for life and make us bitter, or we can choose to forgive and move on with our lives, unburdened. Through Lindy, Macomber shows the reader that forgiving others is for YOU, not necessarily for them. Choosing to forgive people who don't deserve it is liberating.

Santa is a magical figure in this novel, but if you view life through a lens of faith, you might sense he represents something more.

When we write down our grown-up "wish lists" for Santa, expressing the desires of our hearts becomes more like a prayer. What we really need is God to hear us because He's the true Maker of Miracles. In one sweet scene, Lindy thinks she glimpses Santa kneeling at the church manger scene, and it ties everything together.

Dear Santa Does Not Disappoint!

There's nothing worse than media blasts hyping a new book, readers anxiously awaiting to land a copy, and then having the novel fall far short of our expectations. Dear Santa is another win for Macomber--she delivers as well as the big man himself!

Physical books are wonderful, but a Kindle opens up a world of possibilities!

If you've tried to borrow Dear Santa from your local library, even for your Kindle, you may have noticed a very long wait time for a copy to become available--sometimes as much as 10 weeks or more! For some, this might mean having to read a Christmas book long after Christmas is over. It's okay! Who ever said you can't read seasonal books out of season? Dear Santa will inspire the spirit of Christmas in your heart even after December 25.

Lindy is amused when her mom declares this the best Christmas ever because she says the same thing every year. How many of us do the same? Similarly, when you think you've read the best Debbie Macomber novel ever, she cranks out a new one that is as good or better than the last one.

Another thing to love about Macomber is the personal note she includes to readers in her novels. It's fun to learn tidbits about her, especially when she includes her source for a book's inspiration. Macomber shares how she got the idea for Dear Santa at the beginning of the book, so be sure not to skip that part!

If you haven't read Dear Santa yet and are tired of waiting for it to become available at the library, you can snag your copy through Amazon here:

Pre-Order Your Copy of Debbie Macomber's Next Novel!

Get excited! Macomber has announced her latest novel, The Best Is Yet to Come will be released in July 2022. Fans can pre-order their copy now here:

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