39% Of People Agree That This Is The Best Winter Accessory You Can Own

Holiday movies set during winter always make the chilly season sound like a fairy tale. Between shots of people drinking hot cocoa, having snow fights, and curling in front of the fireplace, watching these movies on repeat can genuinely make you wish for cold weather so you can experience half of these things. Then the reality hits, and you're back to getting chills! 

If you're someone who's always cold, once the temperature drops a few degrees, it's time to break out the winter coat. But sometimes, a warm jacket isn't always enough to brave the cold, and you need to bring in reinforcements. Finding the right winter accessories to layer on can be a shopping nightmare. Sure, that hat may look warm in theory (and online), but once it arrives, it's clearly more fashion choice than functional wear. 

So The List decided to find out how people keep warm during the chilly weather. The List conducted a survey of 18,000 people worldwide to see which winter accessory best protects you from the cold. Get ready to stock up your winter closet.

Drum roll... scarves are the best way to bundle up

Scarves were a clear winner with a whopping 39 percent of respondents chiming in. No surprise there, scarves are versatile and, depending on the material they're made of and their size, can double as a cozy blanket. It's no wonder that they're a staple in so many people's closets. The runner up in our survey was a beanie with 24 percent of the votes. Combine these top winter accessories together and you'll feel nice and toasty forever.

Booties came in third with 15 percent. Some may be skeptical about whether booties actually keep you warm since they graze your ankles, but the key to finding great winter booties is to make sure they're water proof and have insulation inside (via Business Insider).

This was followed by mittens with 12 percent. We thought mittens, not to mention protecting your hands from the cold, would rank much higher on the list.

We opened the floor to write-ins, which sparked a debate

In the interest of pulling in more ideas of how to beat sweater weather, The List gave readers the option to write in their favorite winter accessory. While 9 percent of the respondents voted "other", the comments were divided. A lot of people chose winter coats as the best winter accessory, bar none, which caused confusion for those who see them as more of a necessity. One person was adamant about the distinction and commented "And to yall saying coat, that ain't an ACCESSORY that's a given!" We can't argue there.

The second most popular write in were socks, with a few people also throwing in a blanket. But for every respondent that weighed their options seriously, there were a few that . One person voted for "Coffee or wine" as their best winter accessory, while others joked about skipping the cold weather altogether, with responses like "An airline ticket to Hawaii" or "moving to a warmer climate". 

Once the cold weather hits, we'll be picturing our happy place too.