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The Spirit of the Season s book 21 in the Tales From Grace Chapel Inn series about three sisters who run a bed-and-breakfast from their maternal ancestors' Victorian house in the village of Acorn Hill, Pennsylvania. Their late father, Daniel Howard, had been the pastor of nearby Grace Chapel, hence the name.

Widowed Mrs. Louise Howard Smith teaches piano as well as keeping the inn's books. Alice Howard is a part-time nurse. Divorced Jane Howard was a professional chef in San Francisco. She does the cooking and gardening. They share in housekeeping tasks.

These books have a formula: there will be a main problem and one or more problems for subplots. Guests and/or townspeople will be involved. Faith will play a part in resolving the problems..

As in book 7, Home For the Holidays, the sisters have closed their inn for Christmas, but some travelers need them. That time it was Louise who didn't want their holiday interrupted by strangers. This time it's Jane.

It's not a tour group that's stranded, it's a family: Paul and Sandy Erickson of San Diego, and their young children, Dylan and Claire. I started feeling sorry for those children almost as soon as they were introduced. Their mother means well, but she's sucking the joy out of their childhood. How can Sandy be made to see what she's doing?

Perennial pain-in-the-patootie Florence Simpson is certain her marriage to Ronald is over. She flees to Florida and Darlene Irwin, her maternal aunt who is only a year apart in age. Ethel, with Alice in tow, bullies Roland into driving them to Darlene's. Can this marriage be saved?

Louise's 34-year-old daughter Cynthia is bringing a young man home with her. Has she finally found Mr. Right?

While Jane is doing her Secret Santa shopping, she meets Meghan Quinlan, the sweet nine-year-old daughter of Logan and Jessica. Something about the encounter makes Jane wonder if the family has fallen on hard times. (See chapter 12 for the poem Jane wrote to try to help them without hurting Logan's pride.)

NOTES:

That Alice's middle name is Christine is revealed in chapter 1.

Chapter 4: See book 9, Midsummer Melody, for the time Louise played a synthesizer for a Christian Rock group.

Chapter 6: I met Viola Reed's 17-pound black-and-white tomcat named Gatsby and her ivory Siamese Anna in Home For the Holidays, but I don't recall Tess the calico.

Chapter 13: Another of Viola's 14 cats is a tiny black-and-white named Kane.

Chapter 14 has some ideas for homemade Christmas ornaments for a children's Christmas tree.

See chapter 16 for a trip to Walt Disney World.

I must admit that the revelation about the identity of Jane's Secret Santa took me by surprise. That final gift was a dandy, though. The scene about the Quinlans was heart-warming, and Louise was far more gentle when she talked to Sandy Erickson than the words I was mentally yelling at the character.

The recipe for this book is Topsy-Turvy French Toast à l'Orange.

Cat lovers, besides the usual appearances by the Howards' big gray tabby, Wendell, we get to meet another of bookstore owner Viola Reed's 14 cats: a tiny black and white named Kane. ( )