Winter: A Year In The Life was the final kinda/sorta Christmas episode ever for the Gilmore Girls, although Christmas does not necessarily figure heavily into the theme. The miniseries takes place 10 years after the original show ended, and Gilmore patriarch Richard, played by the late, great Edward Herrmann, has died (he passed away in 2014). Rory has just returned from England where she was looking for a writing gig, Luke and Lorelai live together, and the rest of the town seems to be pretty much the same except Sookie no longer cooks at the Dragonfly, which was a drag.

This season, Luke Danes (played by Scott Patterson) helps Lorelai break into the local church to break the bells that will not stop ringing and it seems like their romance might finally be a thing. He shovels her driveway, they bicker, Lane Kim (Keiko Agena) continues to rebel against her mom and visits Rory at her Yale University dorm. It snows and snows and looks fantastic, and the people of Star's Hollow are as delightfully off-center as ever.

If you prefer your holiday special to be very light on Christmas but heavy on snow, Season 3, Episode 10, “That'll Do Pig” is for you. Rory is dating Luke Danes' nephew Jess, but ends up going to the Winter Carnival with her ex-boyfriend Dean; it's a real scandal. Richard Gilmore's mom “Trixie” comes for a surprise visit and throws Emily off her game, it's actually a real delight.

Another episode more focused on winter than Christmas, it opens with Lorelai smelling snow from Luke's bed since they are finally a couple and we can all rest easy. She finds herself struggling to hold on to her love of snow until Luke builds her an ice rink in her yard and yes, this is the dream. Rory and her dad are at odds until his own father dies. Meanwhile Taylor Doose and the rest of the men in town are trying to find a woman for their reenactment to play a "woman of questionable morals" and spoiler alert, it's Kirk.

The very first Christmas episode happened after Dean and Rory stayed out all night (literally sleeping) after a dance. Rory and Lorelai are barely speaking, Emily uninvites Lorelai to the Christmas party because they're barely speaking even as they help with the town Christmas pageant. But when Richard suddenly collapses, they all rush to the hospital, with Luke driving Lorelai, and find their way back to each other. Mushy and I love it.

Rory returns from a romantic Christmas with Logan in London to celebrate the holidays with her parents. Lorelai and Christopher (David Sutcliffe) are married now, although she can't seem to get over Luke. Especially when she sees him out Christmas shopping and he and Rory reminisce about their relationship. This one is Christmas-heavy... but be warned. It's also a bit heavy with the weeping. At least for me.

If you only have time for one Christmas episode of Gilmore Girls this year, let it be Season 2, Episode 10: “The Bracebridge Dinner.” Sookie and Lorelai are still working at The Independence Inn and were planning a massive, 18th century-themed party for guests. When the guests can't make it, they fill the inn with townspeople and even Emily and Richard Gilmore. There's little drama, a little frisson of heat between Rory and Jess and Lorelai and Luke, horse-drawn sleigh rides through the snow.

It's the feel good episode we all deserve.