Winter break is just around the corner, bringing with it time at home, yummy food, and, most importantly, plenty of time for binge-watching. I know way too much about TV for my own good, so I put it to good use to create a list of shows that are perfect to watch when avoiding your family.

Jane the Virgin (Netflix)

Yes, I know it's a weird title. But this is the charming little show that could, drawing critical acclaim, awards, and eventually a small but devoted fanbase during its first season. Jane Villanueva is, yep, a virgin (not to mention engaged) when she discovers that she has been impregnated with the last sperm sample of a wealthy and attractive hotel owner via accidental artificial insemination. And that's just the first episode. Part telenovela, part sitcom, part family drama, this show has the memorable characters, plot twists, and heart to make you keep hitting "next episode."

Scandal (Netflix)

If you go on Twitter on Thursday nights, it probably seems like the whole world is watching "Scandal." But, if you've somehow missed the boat up to this point, it's not too late to catch up on TV's most insane show. Olivia Pope, Washington D.C. scandal fixer extraordinaire, has an affair with the married president of the United States, Fitzgerald Grant. Five seasons in, that is just the tip of the iceberg. Clandestine intelligence organizations ripped from the headlines plots, and more secrets than you can shake a stick at drive the craziness every week. The show's breathless pace makes it great for binge-watching.

Lost (Netflix)

One of the first serialized dramas to actually work on TV, "Lost" is the reason shows like "Game of Thrones" and "The Walking Dead" exist today. You walk away from each episode with more questions than answers, but that's part of the fun. Even if you think you know how the show plays out—yes, they get off the island, no, they weren't dead the whole time, smoke monster... polar bears?—you don't. "Lost" was known for it's extended, intricate plot lines, so a Christmas vacation binge is the perfect way to keep it all straight.

Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt (Netflix)

A NBC-style sitcom in the vein of "The Office" and "Parks and Recreation," "Kimmy" has some of the most outrageous characters and quotable one-liners in TV history. Thirty-year-old Kimmy moves to New York City after being rescued from the underground bunker where she's been held since she was kidnapped as a teenager. There, she learns how the real world works with the help of friends like Broadway-wannabe Titus Andromedon. With only one 13-episode season out so far, this one could probably be tackled in one day. Catch up so you're not in the dark the next time your friend sings "Pinot Noir" as you walk down the wine aisle.

Copper (Netflix)

What? You've never heard of this show? Actually I knew that—it got canceled after only two seasons... Still, "Copper" is sort of a "Sherlock" meets "The Walking Dead" meets "Sleepy Hollow" mishmash. Set in a New York City Irish-African-American slum at the end of the Civil War, the show follows Det. Kevin Corcoran as he tries to find out what happened to his missing (dead?) daughter and wife while he was fighting for the Union. It's gritty and violent, but "Copper" works hard to show the economic disadvantages faced by the Irish immigrants and the racial prejudice faced by African-Americans.

Downton Abbey (Amazon Prime)

This show just aired its final season in the U.K., but Americans must wait until January to say goodbye to the Crawley family. A typical British soap opera that blew up into a global phenomenon, "Downton" brings the drama, between both the members of the aristocracy upstairs and the lower-class servants downstairs, each episode. You'll laugh. You'll cry. You'll shake your head at Lady Edith over and over again. But you won't be able to stop watching.

Transparent (Amazon Prime)

Debuting about eight months before Caitlyn Jenner's Vanity Fair cover was unveiled, "Transparent" helped kickstart the conversation about what it means to be transgender in America. This heartbreakingly beautiful show won immediate critical acclaim and began racking up awards a month after it premiered. Not so unlike Caitlyn Jenner, Moira (nee Mort) Pfefferman reveals to her family that she identifies as a woman after living nearly her entire life as a male, the sex she was assigned at birth. Her ex-wife and grown children must grapple with this revelation and learn to love their "moppa" just as she is. Season two drops in early December, so run, don't walk, to catch up on this important show.

Jessica Jones (Netflix)

An addition to the ever-expanding Marvel universe, this show just debuted in mid-November. To be quite honest, I have yet to watch it, but the universally positive reviews are probably telling me I should. Jessica Jones, played by Krysten Ritter, is a former superhero whose career comes to a tragic end, leading her to open a detective agency. As such, it is much darker than the Marvel movies we're used to seeing. Beloved "Dr. Who" star David Tennant also has a role on the show, so Whovians and comics fans alike are sure to eat this one up.