this hawks nest: gift idea : for someone who loathes the cold

If it isn't you, I know you have at least one friend who just hates cold weather and how it chills the bone. This has always intrigued me. Where does this hatred begin? You never see a kid say, I don't want to go outside, it's too cold but plenty of adults do. I think it's because someone dresses the kids for the weather and then when they're outside they give themselves entirely over to fun and warm themselves up, whereas adults (me included) tend to dress for style and ease. At least here in Wisconsin adults don't wear snowpants everywhere, so we're bound to feel the chill.

I have two gift ideas for your friend. The first I learned from my old roommate, Sarah. She had two fo them and I would watch her go through this little winter ritual of filling the bottle, wrapping it in it's cozy cover, and placing it in her bed to warm her place. Then I saw these coal-filled pans in shows like Downton Abbey and the movie Emma, and I thought that these women must be on to something.

Hot Water Bottle:
to keep cozy & warm through the night

Source: warmtradition.com via Jennifer on Pinterest

I use my hot water bottle, purchased from Walgreens a couple years ago, every winter night. If I forget to fill it fresh, I will crawl out of bed, mosy on downstairs, and boil the water in the kettle it's that wonderful. All through the night my feet are kept toasty and warm, which warms my whole body. Best $11 I ever spent!
Warm Traditions, Pearl, $21
Warm Traditions, Kid Sized $9
Walgreens, $11 It looks orange-brown but it's really magenta. I love it. Ignore the word enema and just discard those parts;)

Thermal Leggings:

to keep cozy & warm through the day

My college roommate, Maggie, never left the house for class without putting on thermal underwear. I thought she was nuts, but she never got cold walking in the dead of Milwaukee January. I don't have these but I sure want them. I do know that you want a material that isn't cotton. Cotton just gets caught on the inside of your pants and makes for an uncomfortable warmth.

Source: amazon.com via

Duofold Women's Expedition, $30

I bet if you wrapped these in a swab of plaid flannel or in a small blanket with some hot cocoa packets you'd be the hit of the year.

Enjoy!

icj,
~j

5 comments:

JenNovember 28, 2012 at 5:04 PM
I loved the idea but my hot water bottle leaked all over...NOT very pleasant. And I love Cuddle Duds. :)
Anna Whiston-DonaldsonNovember 28, 2012 at 6:58 PM
Great ideas! I dring tea all day long to stay warm. My office is an ice cube!
saraNovember 28, 2012 at 8:47 PM
I'm exactly the type of person this post is written for! Mike jokes that every Christmas his main filter for gifts for me is "will it keep her warm?"... A few things that keep me warm these days: footie pajamas (yes, I look like a dork, but at least I'm a warm dork), plug-in seat warmer for the car (makes me so so happy in the morning), fleece leggings (because the regular leggings were just not warm enough. and yes, I wear these almost every day), microwavable heating pad, and of course, warm sweaters, socks, hats, scarves and gloves. I've never tried a hot water bottle though... Does it last longer than one of those rice-filled microwavable heating pads?
saraDecember 6, 2012 at 9:58 PM
Cuddl duds makes the fleece leggings. To give you a sense of my coldness, relative to the rest of normal humanity - I've been wearing mine since October.