Sometimes you just need a little push to dive into the stream of the holiday spirit. Hallmark has an array of cheesy movies for this exact thing, but honest and original are more or less out of the picture in that. If you’re looking for some short holiday stories to fall in love with, the anthology My True Love Gave To Me: Twelve Holiday Stories — done respectively by 12 of the greatest young adult authors and edited by bestseller Stephanie Perkins — is going to spark all the warmest feelings of the season. It’s diverse range of winter celebrations (Christmas, Hanukkah, Winter Solstice, and New Year’s, to name a few) and representation can reach a broad audience and capture everyone’s seasonal hearts.

While the whole collection is beautiful, and each story gives a little something, there are three in particular that stand out. They all capture the essence of the holidays perfectly and they’re majorly swoon-worthy.

Angels in the Snow by Matt de la Peña tells the story of a guy apartment sitting, who’s basically starving himself because he’s terribly broke. Right away there’s that holiday ideal of taking something difficult and making it better somehow. That somehow in this story includes a neighbor upstairs who offers to help him out. A genuine meet cute, at that. While the main character is stubborn, he quickly softens to the kind gestures of the love interest and a bond is formed between them. The making of the story is short, sweet and perfect for sitting by the fire and enjoying a big mug of hot cocoa.

It’s a Yuletide Miracle, Charlie Brown by Stephanie Perkins is pure romantic, fluffy Christmas dreams. The main characters embrace caring and loving personalities, just as the season permits. The story, played out in a mere 30 pages, feels as if it shares a full novel worth of wonderful scenes and character development. It, much like de la Peña’s story, also has a character struggling and overcoming, making everything more honest and real. If you’re needing some motivation to hang up all your decorations and decorate your tree, this short story has the softest most heartfelt scene describing the importance of a beautifully decorated home during Christmas time. It’s sure to make you want to cozy up.

Midnights by Rainbow Rowell, besides being my favorite in the bunch, tells the story of New Year’s kisses and first loves. Rowell has a way of making all her stories so captivating and adorable. You’ll be feeling giddy as the plot progresses; you’ll know what’s coming, but in the best way possible. While also played out in a small number of pages, it wraps up the development of friends over multiple New Year’s nights, from their first meeting to their perfect ending. It’s a well-rounded story that exceeds beyond a typical holiday tale. It’s bound to make you start planning a grand New Year’s party.

The best time of the year is here and if you’re not yet quite in the mood, a few holiday stories can get you there. Representing the most cherishable parts at full intensity, there’s destined to be a story that has just what you’re looking for. One thing’s for sure, they all uphold the ambition of the holidays to be merry and bright.