Let’s Chat

Q: What are your tried-and-true tricks for keeping cozy during the winter?

I eat hot oatmeal for breakfast, sip steaming herbal tea and make a lot of soups and stews. I also wear layers of warm clothing, like my knit socks and a toasty sweater that my mom made for me more than 20 years ago. And I always have a quilt ready when the temperatures really drop.

DAGMAR M. RILEY KEMPNER, TEXAS

My favorite way to be warm and cozy is to burrow beneath a blanket with a kitty on my lap.

CRYSTAL ANDERSON WATERLOO, IOWA

Out here in the western foothills of Oregon’s Cascade Range, winters are typically rainy, and sometimes it snows. To conserve energy, we keep our thermostat at a low temperature, so our house remains cool. But there’s a basket in my family room filled with rolled-up quilts. When reading a book or doing a cross-stitch project, I snuggle under one of them.

LAURA DOCKERY OAKRIDGE, OREGON

My heating pad is always handy, as is a pair of microwavable slippers my son gave me. Reading or enjoying a craft or funny movie also helps me focus elsewhere.

HELEN BRESSLER BELLE PLAINE, MINNESOTA