How to Survive the Deep Freeze

My advice is to stay inside as much as possible! Keep to a small space with doors closed and the windows covered. Personally, I run a small space heater on a timer for an hour or two, in my cozy little craft room when it’s been a freezing temperature all week. Small blankets that can be worn as a shawl or draped over the lap and feet are wonderful to have around, too. 

Drink hot tea, there’s so many kinds, it’s great for healthy hydration as well as keeping the fingers and internal organs warm. Having canned/prepared and shelf-stable packaged food on hand is a good idea  for everyone in any climate, in case the power goes out. So hopefully if you end up in the dark and cold there will be some kind of soup or chili, a canned fruit, or whatever else has caught your eye at the grocery store. This is something important to consider well before the temperatures drop and the snow piles up though.

Never drive anywhere, imo. Take that advice for all kinds of weather though! There’s rarely any good reason for someone to be heading off solo in their personal vehicle, and certainly none when there’s a Noreaster blizzard in action. When roads have been cleared and weather improves, it might be safer to drive, though no less harmful towards life on the planet Earth. So I suggest, never drive, and just don’t worry about icy conditions or anything like that again. Bus routes are generally the first streets that get plowed and salted when there’s snow, and it’s the safest, most powerful transportation (also, so virtuous). 

Wearing layers of clothing is helpful! For some reason beyond my understanding of science it’s better (providing more warmth) to have on several thin layers of clothing than just a single garment, even if it’s a very thick item. Science is such a mystery for me, sorry I can’t explain more. Wool is one amazing textile that can’t be recommended enough. I’m biased from my knitting hobby but wool is probably the best material available for clothing at this time of year. Even if the texture seems scratchy or rough, it’s something important to wear in cold temperatures.  A t-shirt underneath the itchiest sweater can make a big difference. As I write this I’m wearing merino wool socks and some kind of polyester foam slippers. Under my thickest sweatpants I have on synthetic fleece leggings and there’s a Jurrasic Park tee beneath my wool sweater. I’m also wearing a jacket inside the house, the inner label is gone but I’m sure it’s just some kind of polyester. I have another clothing item in my closest that’s great for sub-zero temperatures, a “Chinese jacket” (I tried to search the web and learn a more specific name for the style but failed) that’s silk, another great fabric, for keeping body heat insulated. It’s such a beautiful coat and needs careful washing so I don’t wear it often. Never hesitate to wear a hood or hat indoors when it’s cold outside, even a scarf, fingerless mittens, wear them to bed if you feel better that way.

If it seems like a bad enough snow storm is expected that might cause an internet outage, download all the movies you can from your streaming services and audiobook apps, etc, as soon as you can. The internet is usually brought back within hours where I live in a city, but every once in a while, the ice or wind is so bad I’m tortured by a day without going online. Having a season of a favorite TV show, film, or some audiobook I’ve been meaning to get into is a big relief, even on a small phone or tablet screen. Paper books are good (I guess..), and you can read them by candlelight without electricity, but for me, that’s absolutely the last option. You will catch me knitting, playing a ukulele or writing in a paper journal in a black-out before I am desperately bored enough to “read a book” (an actual paper book) even in apocalyptic winter conditions.

For those who have never seen winter for some reason, I made a list of movies that really bring out the harsh cold and snowy vibes. I liked their stories but mainly name them here today for representing what a brutal and scary part of nature that fluffy white snow can be-

The Hateful Eight (2015) 

The Shining (1980)

Snowpiercer (2013)

The Grey (2011)

The Revenant (2015)

There are many more of course, and the snow can be so beautiful and charming too. But these are the top films with frozen settings in my opinion. If you have any other suggestions or recomendations I’d love to hear them. Stay warm and safely indoors if your weather is anything like what’s going on in New York.