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Winter.

Winter in a house with a forced-air heating system just makes everything far worse. If you have the opportunity and the means, you want to go with a boiler, radiant in-floor heat, etc. Anything but forced-air.

By the way, in the winter we almost never use the dryer when washing clothes - always hang them up and they dry quickly and add their moisture to the air. We also open the dishwasher door as soon as it finishes and let the moisture evaporate into the air. Etc.

The problem with low humidity in winter isn't forced air heating, it's air leakage. But since most houses have poor thermal envelopes, your statement turns out to be mostly true.

It is heating. Forced air doesn't make any difference. Forced air is the most energy efficient (electric is slightly better, but much more expensive), so in cold places you get forced air and also the need for humdification

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