American Reacts to 5 UK Winter Objects!

This is Girl Gone London’s list of 5 winter objects she never used before moving to the UK. She explores the unique and practical items that make British winters more manageable. Let's check out the quirky and clever ways the UK handles the cold season!

#WinterInTheUK #GirlGoneLondon #AmericanReacts

[postiekeefveness]

I used my Tesco clubcard as an ice scraper but I only got 10% off.

[SteveSmallMusic]

We do have eggnog, but we call it by its real name, "Advocaat". It's an alcoholic egg-based drink that we mix with lemonade to make a drink called a "snowball".

[lawrencemcginley]

When I was a child no double glazing we had to scrape the ice from the inside of the bedroom window

[sarahjf]

Hot water bottles are great for pain relief, back pain, earache, period cramps etc. As well as cuddling to keep warm.

[missharry]

I grew up in Yorkshire in a hilly area that got a lot of snow. We had no central heating, a real fire in the living room that did not stay lit all night, and a little electric fire that my mum switched on when she came in to wake us. In cold weather there was always frost on the inside of the windows.

[omegasue]

Hot water bottles are an absolute must …. After a long chilly day, yr tired, and finally you can sink into yr favourite armchair - I place my bottle in the small of my back …. Breathe easy and relax❤

[dazedandconfused]

Glühwein is Mulled Wine, spice recipes vary in both.

[klaxoncow]

Fill the hot water bottle with hot water from your kettle, then put it in your bed.

Like, you can pop it in there before you go to bed, and the bed will already be toasty warm when you get in.

Put it down by your feet. If your feet are nice and warm, then you don't feel cold.

A big one is that women swear by them for period cramps. Like, they hug the hot water bottle and it helps with that.

I mean, basically, it's a refillable bag of heat - and they're designed to hold onto their heat for surprisingly longer than you might imagine.

But, yeah, makes more sense in countries where electric kettles are a thing because that's how we fill them with hot water from the kettle.

[jonntischnabel]

Frozen windscreen? Start your engine, press the windscreen heater button, wait 5 minutes. Drive away. Pretty simple.

[Paul_Bond.]

Wheat bags, a fluffy (usually) bag of wheat grains that you bang in the microwave until hot and then apply to any part of your body that is ailing you. Nowadays I feel I need one as big as a sleeping bag.

[OneTrueScotsman]

A lot of females in Britain use hot water bottles to help deal with period cramps too.
In Scotland, it can get extremely cold, a hot water bottle is a must, unless you're pretty wealthy and can afford to have the heating on, all the time. Which I cannot. Scotland pays the highest energy rates in Britain, and some of the highest in the world, despite producing more energy than we need via renewables, the rates align with the price of gas, for some reason.

[littlemy]

You put the hot water bottle where ever you are cold or sore . They’re great for endo pains as well

[Whiteshirtloosetie]

I have 3 plain hotwater bottles if and when needed. Can remember using them going back to my Great grand parents years as a child. Tip I've always used is fill enough water where there is still air in it. Then slowly squeeze the air out before tightening the top. That way there is no chance of it bursting if laying on it. As for eggnog of course we have Advocaat Snow balls, mine with an added very small dash of lime cordial. As kids any age we use to have them, also Mackeson (stout) shandies.

[amajinjams]

I was really shocked when I found out that Hot water bottles are not that common in the USA because they are also a staple for people who have period cramps not just for warming purposes.

[easybigun]

Hot water bottles are a remnant of the days before many of us had central heating.

[Debhu]

I used the “ shrink wrap” on some of my windows two yrs ago.. I think it’s great, it’s still up and still working.. at first I thought the hairdryer wasn’t doing anything then it started working which I thought was fun… I left opening free so I could still ventilate the room if needed 😊

[chrissymoss]

We cover both the windshield and the rear view with an array of different things. I have seen or used a couple of the following examples : purpose made car window external covers, cardboard, carpet off-cuts, whatever is used, is simply removed just before setting off, leaving perfectly clear "windows".

Using the car heater does NOT cause the frozen windows to shatter - an already cracked windshield is the guilty culprit 😅

Of course, we drink "eggnog, " but we use the correct name of this item - advocaat.

Hot water bottles are awesome. Used on tense muscles, including the tiresome period pain, nothing beats it/them. Then, of course, the humble hot water bottle is just perfect to cuddle on those chilly evenings, with a throw/blanket wrapped around you lovely 😍

[TerenceDixon-lb]

Electric' hot water' bottles are now available, lovely for warming one's toes on a frosty evening in winter. Eggnog seems to be very much based on the Dutch drink at Christmastime - called Advocaat. The main difference is usually the lack of dairy products, although cream can be added, and it uses the whole egg. Brandy is always an ingredient. It is popular across Europe, including the UK, and served cold (the Brandy itself is warming enough! So basically we have a form of eggnog as well as mulled wine best of both worlds. Gluhwein (basically mulled wine) is available also in the UK, especially at one of the many German markets that spring up in our cities in winter..

[MrMJJFAN]

Clit..Freudiant slip there, one tracked mind and i'm totally here for it😂

[Ibis]

I grew up (70s) in a house with steel windows, and we taped clear plastic sheeting over the windows as the frames were such a poor fit. It wasn't for insulation as such, more to stop the draughts. I once locked myself out, and spent the night in the shed (in November) and it seemed no colder than being indoors. :-)