sounds suspiciously like keypadiasis to me. It's something many of us get from spending a lot of time in cyberspace.
Seriously, yes, I get very dry skin in winter. The lotion is a good idea, especially at bedtime, when you'll have several hours for the lotion to sink in.
My fingers peel because of the job I do (I am a mail sorter) and I am constantly rubbing my fingers on the mail. The soap at work is really harsh. I use Lush lotions - the current one I am using is the Karma Kream and it works really well.