New England winters are typically known to be quite bad and meteorologists predict this to be one of the worst winters in history. After growing up here for all eighteen years of my life though there are some things I’ve learned to keep warm. Take this from someone who can’t stand the cold.

1. Cold feet equals cold body

Choosing the correct pair of shoes is a deal breaker. If your feet are cold, then the rest of your body will be cold as well. This also goes for the fact that if your feet are WET, life will be plain old miserable. Boots such as the classic Uggs, while stylish and warm, are not waterproof and typically will cause wet feet. Bean boots, or any boots with a rubber coating, make it so that water cannot get into the shoe.

The second part of this battle is choosing socks to go along with the shoes chosen. Extra thick socks, while thought to be the best choice, sometimes can make the shoe too tight causing minimal blood flow to the toes. This makes it so that the toes seem even colder than they actually may be. Thin socks on the other hand will not provide ENOUGH warmth to the feet. The best socks in my opinion are thinner wool socks. The wool will keep your feet warm while not compressing the toes too much.

2. Cold hands does not exactly mean cold heart

For me, the extremities tend to be the parts of the body that get cold the easiest. Fingers, while easy to forget about, are one of the things that get cold the fastest. This means that gloves or warm pockets are a necessity. Most dollar stores sell cheep, crappy pairs of gloves, that will most typically do the job just enough tot take the edge off.

3. LAYERS!

Most buildings in New England have great heating. This is great for while you’re in them, but becomes annoying when you're sweating like crazy in the middle of winter.

Layers are essential for surviving a New England winters. Layers that are helpful in the winter include a long sleeve, vest, and jacket on the top portion along with gloves, hat and long pants (jeans or leggings are the best options).

*A side note on leggings: there is a beautiful invention called fleece lined leggings. These are thicker than typical leggings and provide more warmth.

4. Scarves

Lots of times when people begin to dress for the cold weather, they forget about their neck. When the neck is not covered though, it is easy for wind, rain or snow to go down the front of a jacket and make you extremely cold. By putting a scarf on, this will eliminate the possibility that this will happen and will also give you a place to hide your chin and nose when the wind picks up!

Despite the fact that New England winters are tough to bare and typically come with some complaining, what I've learned from living here for so long is that those cold walks and nights are all worth it for that one morning when the snow coats the trees perfectly and the scene down the road is simply breathtaking.