These 6 Fiction Books Are Guaranteed to Lift Your Spirits This Season

• Increased sleep and daytime drowsiness

• Loss of interest and pleasure in activities formerly enjoyed

• Social withdrawal and increased sensitivity to rejection

• Irritability and anxiety

• Fatigue, or low energy level

• Decreased sex drive

Always consult a healthcare provider if you think you may be experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder. But you don't have to be diagnosed with a disorder to experience sadness. Sometimes, you’re just not in good spirits and that’s okay.

Here are 6 fiction books that can help you feel the holiday cheer this season:

Dear Santa by Debbie Macomber: 

Synopsis: Lindy Carmichael isn’t feeling particularly joyful when she returns home to Wenatchee, Washington, for Christmas. The man she thought was “the one” has cheated on her with her best friend, and she feels completely devoid of creativity in her graphic-design job. Not even carolers or Christmas cookies can cheer her up—but Lindy’s mother, Ellen, remembers an old tradition that might lift her daughter’s spirits.
 
Reading through a box of childhood letters to Santa and reminiscing about what she’d wished for as a young girl may be just the inspiration Lindy needs. With Ellen’s encouragement, she decides to write a new letter to Santa, one that will encourage her to have faith and believe just as she’d done all those years ago. Little does Lindy know that this exercise in gratitude will cause her wishes to unfold before her in miraculous ways. And, thanks to some fateful twists of Christmas magic—especially an unexpected connection with a handsome former classmate—Lindy ultimately realizes that there is truly no place like home for the holidays.

Available as an audiobook here | Available as a physical book here

Winter Street by Elin Hilderbrand

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory 

Synopsis: Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie’s work trip to England to style a royal family member, she can’t refuse. She’s excited to spend the holidays taking in the magnificent British sights, but what she doesn’t expect is to become instantly attracted to a certain private secretary, his charming accent, and unyielding formality.

Malcolm Hudson has worked for the Queen for years and has never given a personal, private tour—until now. He is intrigued by Vivian the moment he meets her and finds himself making excuses just to spend time with her. When flirtatious banter turns into a kiss under the mistletoe, things snowball into a full-on fling.

Despite a ticking timer on their holiday romance, they are completely fine with ending their short, steamy affair come New Year’s Day...or are they?

Available as an audiobook here | Available as a physical book here

A Little Christmas Spirit by Sheila Roberts

Synopsis: Single mom Lexie Bell hopes to make this first Christmas in their new home special for her six-year-old son, Brock. Festive lights and homemade fudge, check. Friendly neighbors? Uh, no. The reclusive widower next door is more grinchy than nice. But maybe he just needs a reminder of what matters most. At least sharing some holiday cheer with him will distract her from her own lack of romance…

Stanley Mann lost his Christmas spirit when he lost his wife and he sees no point in looking for it. Until she shows up in his dreams and informs him it’s time to ditch his scroogey attitude. Stanley digs in his heels, but she’s determined to haunt him until he wakes up and rediscovers the joys of the season. He can start by being a little more neighborly to the single mom next door. In spite of his protests, he’s soon making snowmen and decorating Christmas trees. How will it all end?

Available as an audiobook here | Available as a physical book here 

The Holiday Swap by Maggie Knox

Synopsis: When chef Charlie Goodwin gets hit on the head on the L.A. set of her reality baking show, she loses a lot more than consciousness; she also loses her ability to taste and smell—both critical to her success as show judge. Meanwhile, Charlie's identical twin, Cass, is frantically trying to hold her own life together back in their quaint mountain hometown while running the family's bustling bakery and dealing with her ex, who won't get the memo that they're over.

With only days until Christmas, a desperate Charlie asks Cass to do something they haven't done since they were kids: switch places. Looking for her own escape from reality, Cass agrees. But temporarily trading lives proves more complicated than they imagined, especially when rugged firefighter Jake Greenman and gorgeous physician assistant Miguel Rodriguez are thrown into the mix. Will the twins' identity swap be a recipe for disaster, or does it have all the right ingredients for getting their lives back on track?

Available as an audiobook here | Available as a physical book here 

In a Holidaze by Christina Lauren

Synopsis: Maelyn Jones goes to a snowy cabin in Utah every Christmas with her family. The trip is the only thing she has to look forward to lately as she deals with a dead-end job, has no luck with relationships, and is living with her parents. Extremely bummed to leave the cabin, she starts driving and enters a strange time loop where she ends up back on the plane bound for Utah where she begins the same holiday all over again. A hilarious & fun read, In a Holidaze is a unique Christmas romance story you’ll love!

Available as an audiobook here | Available as a physical book here