Christmas Camp

Haley gets passed over for a promotion and a big project at work because she doesn’t get the Christmas spirit, which the project requires. When she begs for another chance, her boss sends her to “Christmas Camp” at Holly Peak Inn to get her in the right mode. Jeff is the owner’s son and trying to save the inn during hard financial times. This was a Christmas explosion of Christmas tropes. ??❄Hot cocoa with whipped cream and candy cane stir sticks. Ugly Christmas sweater competitions. Reindeer on the lawn. Christmas decorated rooms. Cookies and wishes in stockings. ?❄?❄Lots of cheery activities with new friends and a sweet romance developing as the resident grinch finds her ho ho ho. This was super cute and had some wonderful warm Christmas messages. <br /><br />

Favorite Quote: <br /><br />Since she traveled a lot to visit her clients, she took pride in the fact that she never checked any bags, going with the philosophy that there were two kinds of luggage, carry-on and lost.<br /><br />My Review: <br /><br />I enjoyed this mild and sweet holiday storyline of a female workaholic named Haley. The writing was insightful and finely tweaked with those humorous and thoughtful touches that kicked the narrative up from good to cleverly exceptional. The main character of Haley wasn’t exactly a grinch but a mild female version of Scrooge. She was exceptionally driven and prone to be selfish and thoughtless in what she said and did in her eagerness to get accounts and make partner. She worked all the time and didn’t make time to relax, date, or socialize outside of work. She wasn’t vile, just obnoxiously ambitious and work-obsessed. Her boss staged a covet intervention as “a holiday attitude adjustment,” by sending her to “Christmas Camp,” an inn with traditional activities geared to bring families together during the holidays. This is one of those rare books that is chaste enough for my elderly mother’s Sunday School book club and Hallmark Channel wholesome, yet still entertaining to me. My favorite character in the story was the exceptionally clever Max - the Wonder Dog, whom I believe was largely responsible for Haley’s transformation. <br />

I really enjoyed this book a lot. Everything about this book was completely amazing. I love the characters,the storyline, and the magical time of Christmas. The characters were well formed and excellently developed.I loved how they interacted with each other. The writing was great and held my attention. I definitely recommend.

A cute clean Christmas romance! So festive and cheery. <br />It follows a woman who is consumed by her job and wants a promotion and a man who works for his dad and sacrifices to help with the business. <br />The woman ends up going to a Christmas camp that the man and his dad put on every year. <br />It’s a romance but mostly it’s a story to get you in the Christmas spirit!

Find this review and others at <a href="https://www.carleneinspired.com" rel="nofollow noopener">Carlene Inspired</a>.<br /><br />Where does one start with Christmas Camp? Do I start by telling you it's the perfect Hallmark movie in book form? Do I tell you the girl is relatable and Christmas really does bring magic and love into her overworked life? Or do I tell you it's all thanks to the smart dog? Oh, I tell you all of that? Okay, it's all true! Christmas Camp is the story of Haley Hanson and her desire to make partner at her advertising and marketing firm. Only the challenge has to do with Christmas and Haley's idea of Christmas is being poolside with her family...while still working. Meanwhile Jeff is all about the season, even if he wants his dad to give up the camp and move a little closer. He still believes and he's out to prove to Haley she knows nothing about the true spirit of Christmas. She struggles with the activities, referring to it all as boot camp, but as she learns to slow down she also learns how to open up allowing the unexpected to happen. But is Christmas just for a season or is it a forever feeling?<br /><br />Christmas Camp by Karen Schaler arrived right on time for me. I love the holidays, nothing is better than brisk air, peppermint flavored coffee, and decorations everywhere, but work's had me exhausted lately and my spirit was more Scrooge than even Haley's. This book has everything you could possibly like about Christmas in it. From the decorations to the activities to the sweet, more personal moments, it's exactly like that first, untouched sparkly snowfall. I really connected with Haley's goal to reach the top and her desperate desire to give her parents everything after they had given so much to her. She's lost sight, for sure, but she's got the spirit in her. Jeff is a bit of a tough guy, all handsome and closed off. They bump heads the entire way, but it makes for a funny and cute story that was easy to follow and even easier to fall in love with. <br /><br />Christmas Camp is a feel good story, the kind you'll want to read again and again. It's more than a romance though and I think readers will fall in love with the secondary characters we get to know during Haley's time at camp. It's the perfect book for the season and while I'm excited to see the movie, I'm more excited to read this year after year as the holiday season draws near.<br /><br />ARC provided.

3.5 holiday stars!! - A Christmas Camp? What is that? It’s for those who have lost their Christmas spirit, those who want to learn how to make their own Christmas traditions, and for those lonely souls to continue to hold on to the love and memories of family. And for those who just absolutely love Christmas. It’s for some who get preoccupied with life, work, etc and just want to get through Christmas; not feel or “be” Christmas. What was lost or never had, is now to be found at Christmas Camp. <br /><br />The concept of a Christmas Camp is unique. It’s run by Ben, Jeff’s widowed dad. Jeff helps, but his work and business is making time spent with his Dad, less and less. Ben continues to constantly add to the decorations, lighting and experience. But money is not coming in, and Jeff would like his dad to sell the camp and move near him. Yet, this property is beautiful and magical and it reminds Ben of his deceased wife, and family times, especially at Christmas, which was her/their favorite time of year. If Ben sells, the Christmas camp concept will cease to be. New and former guests will not have anything like this to go to, because it’s one of a kind. <br /><br />Enter young Haley, who is a fast tracker in brand marketing. She’s bucking for a promotion, however, her Christmas spirit is not only lacking, it’s at zero. Haley’s boss notices her lack of Christmas spirit, and signs her up for this camp with the agreement he will listen to her pitch as well as her colleague’s pitch, and may the best person win this new toy account. Haley is highly competitive and while this has served her well in life before, it’s going to be a deterrent in achieving her Christmas camp certification of completion. She was called the Grinch at the office; she can’t part with her phone or computer and it’s embarrassing how she acts and lies about keeping connected or using these devices for work. She is supposed to disconnect from work and immerse herself in the camp experience, but, wow, it’s like her quitting cold turkey. Haley has several setbacks and gets in trouble and caught with her phone and is always thinking about or making some comment about work. It was getting to be annoying to everyone how she just could not detach herself! <br /><br />There’s a connection when Haley and Jeff meet (of course). And it’s a cute story of their back and forth in establishing a relationship with the magic of Christmas helping to bond them together. <br /><br />The festive environment, the daily holiday activities (group and individual), the cookies (omg - the cookies figure prominently in this book), food, cocoa, and the falling snow all add to the Christmas spirit and before you know it, everyone is experiencing the joy, the wonder, the sharing, the peace and love. <br /><br />The traditions of the camp are quite heartwarming; it binds those that are present now, with former guests who visited in the past. Ben coordinates and runs his camp expertly. But Ben also has a warm heart and kind soul and is able to see deeper beyond the physical person and helps them kind of figure things out and gives a little push or nudge along the way to get them there. I think Jeff carries a little bit of this magic himself; he is very tolerant of Haley but at times, gets frustrated and disappointed with her. As do the others. <br /><br />But...Haley starts bonding with some of the other guests; immersing herself in group cooking, singing, shopping, taking Max the friendly dog for walks, baking cookies, decorating her tree and the group tree. In time, she is starting to come around to the feeling in her heart of Christmas. She is starting to remember some of her earlier Christmases and traditions, as well. <br /><br />For someone who gave gift cards to family/friends, Haley is now is capable to select a personal and Christmas appropriate gift that has true meaning. It’s a complete turnaround and she finally earns her camp completion certificate. But that’s not all, there are a few other things that fall into place and it’s a sweet, happy ending. <br /><br />This book was made into a TV movie and released, I believe, in December, 2018. <br /><br />I laughed out loud when Haley was checked into her room at camp and it was the angel themed room. Angels were everywhere, and being surrounded by an excess of angel dolls, angel embroidered pillows, other angel related paraphernalia started making her very anxious. She started talking to them and stuffing them into dresser drawers, under the bed and into the closet so she would not have to look at them. Other guest themed rooms were stars, snowmen, Santas, etc. but it appeared that the decor in each room was overly excessive! ?

If I had to sum up this holiday read in 3 images:<br><br><img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1545162791i/26768528._SY540_.jpg" width="100" height="125" alt="hazelnut-hot-chocolate-with-candy-cane_1895" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1545162791i/26768529._SY540_.jpg" width="100" height="125" alt="dog in Christmas sweater" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"> <img src="https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/hostedimages/1545162791i/26768530.jpg" width="150" height="125" alt="pine cones" class="gr-hostedUserImg" loading="lazy"><br><br>Now I really want a hot chocolate!<br><br>Haley, aka the Grinch, doesn’t do Christmas. It’s not that she hates it, she just doesn’t have time for it. Work, work, work…that is all that girl thinks about. She is gunning for a promotion and her boss makes her go to Christmas Camp as a prerequisite to pitching a large account.<br><br><i>What is a holiday story without a love interest, am I right?!</i> Here’s where Jeff comes in. He is the son of Ben – the owner of Christmas Camp – and he has Haley in his sights. Not for what you think, he wants to make sure her lack of Christmas spirit doesn’t ruin this camp for his father. Jeff wants this to be the last camp and for his dad to sell the joint. Ben obviously doesn’t want that, and Haley – the workaholic she is – thinks of a way to help Ben…but will Jeff be pleased?<br><br>Little sparks build over the book between Haley and Jeff and then BOOM: its either love or destruction. <i>What do you think it will be?</i><br><br>This was my first holiday read of the season and it gave me all the warm and fuzzies. <b>It’s sugary sweet, but dentist approved.</b> ?<br><br>I can’t wait for the TV movie out at the end of this month! I heard it will play on the Hallmark Channel!<br><br>To read my reviews visit: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener nofollow" href="http://www.saturdaynitereader.com">www.saturdaynitereader.com</a><br>

What a delightful, fresh, original Christmas season story. I wanted to resist it at first, but bit by bit it hooked my in and kept me reading on. I loved the characters and their stories, I loved the persistence of Max ( a dog) and his insight into the human heart!  I found myself wishing I was their at the Christmas Camp along with all the participants. I might be a little bit easily led I know, but I just couldn't resist the feel good message in this story.<br /><br />Haley is a sort of Grinch. But... she doesn't really have all that much in common with that character, when you examine her life and her heart. Really that is in the right place. She has just become obsessed  with work and her eye is forever on that goal. But thanks to her boss she gets a call to step outside her life and experience something different. I found myself on her side, wanting her to love her respite in this wonder filled place, but also to be successful in her ultimate goal.<br /><br />I loved the activities, the friendships and relationships that were begun or strengthened. Mmmm all the feels of the Christmas season plus. I believe this just may have a follow up. I'm all for it!

(free review copy) This is perfect for fans of Hallmark Christmas movies and sweet simple holiday stories :-) It actually was a screenplay FIRST and then adapted to a book, and that worked well! No major complexities, just happy Christmas feels.

I had to read this before I watched it. It was such a good Christmas read. BELIEVE is a great message this time of year. I loved the little romance that brewed at Christmas Camp to. I recommend this book.