In Vermont, winter often arrives early and lingers long after the calendar announces spring. Instead of resisting winter’s blustery ways, we embrace the brisk weather by snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and walking in our winter wonderland. We also know how to enjoy time indoors when the weather turns us into homebodies. Those stacks of books accumulated from summer tag sales start to dwindle and our teapots are busy boiling water for rich, creamy hot chocolate. As Vermonters, we know how to keep warm, inside and out. Here are a few of our favorite time-honored principles that just plain work:
- Switch to flannel sheets and add a hefty blanket, rather than cranking up the heat and racking up oil bills. We find that we sleep best in a cool room and nothing beats our supremely soft Portuguese cotton flannel to trap heat yet breathe comfortably.
- Learn to love long underwear! If you think long underwear is the bulky, bunching kind worn by construction workers, you are in for a pleasant surprise. Our modern, featherweight under-layers are a silky miracle of comfort.
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Steamy Hot Chocolate
Enjoy piping-hot foods and steaming beverages. Warm up wintery mornings with a bowl of wholesome hot cereal sweetened with Vermont maple syrup; you’ll find it’s infinitely more satisfying than pouring cold milk over dry flakes. For dinner, we love to use our slow-cookers and in the mornings we toss in leftover vegetables along with lean meat, hearty chicken broth and spices, and return home to an aromatic, cold-busting stew.
And lastly, no matter what the weather, we venture outside! It amazes us how a short walk can clear the mind, fill the lungs, and lift the spirits; let your feet carry you wherever they may. Embrace the season!
Cabot Orton
for the Orton family
Orton Family in Winter
