The winters here in NE Texas don't seem as bad as they were 15 years or so ago, but I can remember when they would get pretty nasty. Anyways, my dad would always bring a metal coffee can that was just big enough to hold a roll of toilet paper. He'd then pour a bottle of rubbing alcohol in it, and light... Would keep the stand nice and toasty all day. I don't recall any smell, and there was just a slight blue flame. If you smell the TP burning, then it's time to refill the alcohol, but I don't recall needing to do that during the course of one day.