No fear
I'm from Buffalo by way of Canada. I know Winter. She and I have battled for years and I want to tell you how to deal with her - concede defeat! Just deal!
First of all, never show fear. Brace yourself mentally for the assault, as I have done each day during this arctic insult in preparation for my 27 block walk from Penn Station to my office. You need to step right out into it without hesitation. Like jumping into a cold pool. Like the Chihuahua refusing to back down from a Great Dane.
And you should play with Mother Nature. Ski. Or snowshoe! If downhill skiing is out of the way or cost prohibitive, check out cross country skiing. You can pick up a complete second hand setup for about a hundred bucks. It's great exercise and you can do it right there at the neighborhood golf course. Also, acquire a taste for whiskey. Preferably single malt.
Respect
Ok, I said don't fear her, but you do have to show Winter a healthy dose of respect. Hat, gloves, scarf, good tires. I drove through brutal conditions to get to my home at the far edge of eastern Pennsylvania last Saturday. I was desperate to get back after a brief visit with friends in Buffalo. And I was determined to make it home before midnight so I could spend at least part of Valentine's Day with my wife. It's normally a 6 hour drive. I left Buffalo at 3:45pm, giving mad respect to the elements. Good thing too. That 6 hour drive turned into 8 white knuckle hours through blinding snow. I got home at 11:45pm.
Humor
Nothing neuters Winter like a good poke in her eye with sharp wit. One of my old college friends posted today that it was "cold enough to freeze the nuts off an iron bridge". And there's the classic joke contrasting the average frightened driver about to skid into a snow-covered ditch, with a driver from Buffalo. The former braces for the worst and grimaces in fear. The Buffalonian passes his coffee cup to the passenger and gleefully intones; "watch this!"