Pre-Contact societies in the Northeast had a pretty well-developed system for getting through the winter. Extended family groups built large longhouses that were pretty heavily insulated; these were located in village clusters so that family groups could support each other. A lot of the year was devoted to producing food that could be stored for winter; in earlier time period this meant collecting starchy seeds, drying meat and fish, and storing high-energy food stuffs like bear fat. Once horticulture gains wide-spread popularity, food crops (the three sisters) were dried and stored so that supplies would last through the winter. The idea was to lay in enough food to make winter hunting and travel unnecessary. The rest of the year, leaving "base camp" for extended periods was typical, but in the winter folks avoided extended travel. Once the snows set in, families would basically tuck into the longhouses and tend to "winter work" like fiber-making, leather working and other chores that could be done indoors. Fuel gathering and some hunting would have been done near the village, but in general the goal was to lay low and conserve energy. Lots of sitting around telling stories, making babies, and staying warm. Many native groups have "seasonal" storytelling traditions, meaning that there are some stories that are only told during the winter months; this was probably a good way to stave off the inevitable boredom of being stuck in a longhouse with your whole extended family for several months. Winter is hard on humans, so sickness would have been an issue for folks in prehistory just like it is now, especially for babies born in the winter. Basically, a lot of folks tucked into longhouses waiting for the sun to come back.