Check It. Cozy blanket.

As the weather gets colder, it's increasingly difficult to get out of bed in the morning! Other than a robe, sometimes a blanket you can wrap yourself in to decrease the initial chill is the perfect tool to make waking up less painful.

Brookstone sells a lightweight, versatile, incredibly comfortable microfleece blanket made especially for naps! It's perfect for a throw to leave on the couch and use when watching movies at night, or yes, even for naps--if you take them. It's so warm, yet so light. And it's machine washable (ok in the drier too).

I have a pale blue/gray version of this blanket that was a genius Christmas gift from reality TV company Endemol (complete with a logo patch in the corner) a couple years ago, and it's my favorite household item every winter now.

Two Los Angeles-area Brookstone stores: The Beverly Center in Los Angeles, and the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica. Info: brookstone.com

-- Leslie Anne Wiggins

Photo credit: kaboodle.com

Do It. Ice skating in the city.

Why yes, ice skating does exist in this tundra of a city, and guess what? It's actually quite festive too. Get into the winter spirit by hitting these special and uniquely-L.A. skating spots:

Pershing Square in downtown, open now until Jan. 18, $6 + $2 for skate rental.
This probably goes without saying, but there's simply nothing like skating your freezing heart out right in the middle of downtown Los Angeles. Surrounded by downtown landmarks like the Eastern Columbia building and the Millennium Biltmore Hotel, this rink is downright charming. It's a little on the small side, but there are free concerts on most nights (Wednesdays are sponsored by Spaceland, and Dramarama showed up last Thursday!). This weekend is the family-friendly Winter Holiday Special, complete with sledding.

Holiday on Ice at L.A. Live, open now until Dec. 31, $10 (includes skate rental).
You sure can't miss all the lights and madness known as L.A. Live if you're anywhere near downtown, so get right in the middle of the action by skating at this L.A. Kings-sponsored rink. While skating, you can bask in the neon brightness of the center's infamous holiday tree, and afterward, you can take a breather with a fancy dinner at Katsuya (you know, that one restaurant). Does it get any more "L.A." than that?

ICE at Santa Monica, open now until Jan. 31, $10 (includes skate rental).
Need to make all your ice-shoveling, non-Californian friends jealous? Tell them about that time you went ice skating right next to the beach. The rink is two blocks down from the 3rd Street Promenade, so you can basically smell that brisk salty air as you breeze down the ice. Oh, not so much of a breezer on the ice? ICE offers skating lessons for everyone and anyone on Sat. mornings. Then you can tell your friends how you went ice skating right next to the beach and how you were actually kind of good at it.

-- Chau Tu

Photo credit: Pershing Square