Before the first snowstorm hits, purchase a bag of salt and sand to sprinkle in combination on all the sidewalks to your house. While you may enter your house from the garage or by a back entrance, the mail carrier, delivery people, and visitors use the front sidewalk almost daily. And, sometimes, children use the sidewalk in front of your house to get to school. There are many new de-icing salts that will not damage cement walks and drives or lawns. If allowed to pile up, ice and snow can back up under the eaves of the roof and cause water damage inside the house.
Icicles are pretty, but they are also a hazard.
Be sure to safely knock them down. Your Cats and Dogs Keep your pets safe during the winter. Pets spending most of their time indoors, especially nights, are considered inside pets. When walked outside, they need to be protected with sweaters or other coverings. Don't count on sweaters or other outerwear to protect them when they are outside for long periods of time as they lose a lot of body heat through pads on their feet and through their ears.