It's hard to point a 'scope when your feet are frozen to the ground. One way to maximize your observing pleasure in winter is to carefully plan your stargazing session. The Orion is a good starter constellation for all you newbies out there in telescope land. Even the smallest of department store telescopes will show a few objects in Orion.
Lets find it first.
You'll see a line of three bright stars, which form the belt of the Hunter. The bright stars above the belt represent Orion's shoulders. The reddish star on the left is the old supergiant called Betelgeuse. To the right is Bellatrix. Orion's feet are called Saiph, to the left, and Rigel, to the right.