Cold weather clothing tips you may (or may not!) like

Frigid February is upon us. We Chicagoans “grin and bear it,” but it still is a rough road to travel. Freezing cold temperatures, a little snow and ice thrown in just to keep things interesting, not to mention wind gusts that can cut through you with the pinpoint accuracy of a surgeon’s knife.

Painful cold, indeed.

But take comfort. There’s no better place than your friendly Chicago Star opinion page to give you some of our top “key winter clothing tips,” to help you stay toasty warm even in the worst of winter times.

Feel free to print and cut this handy little primer out and tape it up on the old kitchen refrigerator for all in the family to see. Or, some might use it to put on the table to collect the drip from the cup of coffee you may be drinking, or even better, to wipe your feet as you come in from the winter mess.

Either way, it will not discourage me from surging ahead and giving you my “best and brightest” tips on the smartest winter clothing to wear.

Bundle up tip #1: Don’t underrate the scarf. The scarf is key! It wraps around and, if placed in a bundle in front of the chest, it really helps to keep you warm! The key, though, is to forget “style and fashion.” The scarf during freezing temperatures should be thick and heavy, and preferably really ugly. Looks don’t matter in the freezing cold! 

“Tough times don’t last, but tough scarves do.” In my college and early twenties days I even used a heavy shower towel instead of a scarf and it worked great! Practicality over style!

Bundle up tip #2: The feet are key—more specifically, keeping those tootsies warm. Heavy-duty special winter socks? Oh yes, bring those babies out and you will not regret it.

Bundle up tip #3: Staying with the “keep the feet warm” theme, make sure the shoes you wear have solid bottoms. Older worn shoes that might have a bit of wear and tear on the sole? No good. Trust me, the wet and cold will find that weak spot in the shoe (like a mosquito can find the smallest of openings on a screen door) and, slowly but surely, start to drench your now cold and wet bottom of your feet.

Bundle up tip #4: Long underwear—oh yes, definitely! Unofficial Chicago Star surveys indicate that only 27.8 percent of Chicagoans even own a pair of long underwear. But the ones that do? Let’s just say, they are the ones walking around with a little smug smile on their faces—even in the freezing cold.

Bundle up tip #5: Down jackets are still the best for warmth.  Many have come and gone since the “down” material (made from goose or duck down) was introduced to us some decades ago. In this one writer’s opinion, still none since have matched the protection from the cold and wind like down jackets.

Bundle up tip #6: Gloves. Keeping the hands warm is a very close second to keeping the feet warm. Same message here:  substance over style. Forget how they look and go for the nice, bulky, thick kind.

Bundle up tip #7: This one might even be worth the extreme pain of reading the previous six items. Try this. Take your pandemic mask that has been sitting in the bottom drawer for a couple of years and wear it over your face when you go out. It is amazing how much this “pseudo winter face mask” will help you keep warm.  It cuts the wind, and your natural breath comes back at you and warms the whole face. Warning: If you are wearing glasses or goggles, breathing with the mask on will fog up the glasses.  But desperate times call for desperate measures, so wear that mask in the bitter cold–you will not regret it!

So there you have it. Some cold weather clothing tips, brought to you by your friendly Chicago Star columnist. Hang in there, everybody, as “This too shall pass.”

And remember, if all else fails, just search for “Hawaii vacations,” or maybe even check out the housing market availability in always-sunny San Diego.