Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas around here. Christmas music is on the radio. I’ve already watched a few cheesy Christmas movies. Ribbons and garland decorate the lampposts. All we need now is snow (which it doesn’t look like we will be getting before Christmas). Here are some ways to get in the Christmas spirit around Michigan.
The most obvious place in Michigan I can think to celebrate Christmas is Frankenmuth. A charming downtown full of unique shops, you’re sure to be able to cross everyone off your shopping list here. Dine in one of two restaurants offering family-style chicken dinners. You will find every decoration you never knew you needed at Bronner’s, the world’s largest Christmas Store.
My presents are already wrapped and are waiting for Christmas under the tree.
Drive through the beautifully lit Wayne County Lightfest (top). This is a tradition for my family and even though we go through it every year, it is always so much fun to see the lights! The lights stay up until New Years Eve so there is plenty of time to make your way out to Westland to see them.
Stroll through downtown Rochester and experience The Big Bright Light Show. All the buildings downtown are completely covered in colorful lights throughout the month of December. It is really unlike anything else I’ve seen before and is worth a visit if you haven’t checked it out before.
Get some of your holiday shopping done at Christmas Market. Eastern Market in Detroit has 7 dates this year to shop for Michigan-made gifts for everyone on your list. On the west side of the state, check out Kerstmarkt in Holland. Open select weekends before Christmas, Kerstmarkt is reminiscent of a European Christmas Market.
Explore a mansion traditionally decorated for the holidays. There are few beautiful houses around the state that are open for tours around the holidays. Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester is open for tours this time of the year. They even stay open later select nights so you can see the estate lit up in holiday lights. The Ford House in Gross Point Shores is open to tour all year, but it is especially beautiful around the holidays. If you plan to visit, be sure to get there are early as tours sell out fast. The Manor House at Concordia University Ann Arbor is open for touring one weekend a year. Its a unique experience featuring a festival of trees and a traditional Christmas Market.
My favorite has to be Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village (right). Walking through the Village at Christmas time is like taking a trip to Christmas past. Sing carols on a horse drawn wagon ride. Watch historic cooking demonstrations. Ride a Model-T down lantern-lit streets. Listen to carolers and musicians playing all types of music. And the night ends with fireworks and a Christmas Carol sing-along. I look forward to it every year now.
This is by no means an exhaustive list. What did I miss? Tell me in the comments! If you like my photos be sure to “like” my Facebook Page, follow me on Instagram, and Flickr! You can purchase prints on Etsy and Fine Art America. To see inside my camera bag, check out my Gear Page. For information about our new Guided Photography Tours, visit GuidedPhoto.com.
This Christmas Season, I was finally able to do something that I’ve wanted to do for as long as I can remember, attend Holiday Nights at Greenfield Village. Its a staple of the Christmas Season in Metro Detroit and I had never been! Holiday Nights begins at 6:30 and goes until 10:00 and those three and a half hours flew by! We rode a Model T and had a Christmas singalong on a horse drawn carriage. We saw Santa and his reindeer. We listened to carolers, a fife and drum corps, and warmed up around the fire and enjoyed music from Michigan’s Troubadour. Some of the historic homes were open and were cooking period appropriate holiday meals and you can sit fireside and watch dramatic retellings of classic Christmas stories. The restaurants were open and additional tents were around serving holiday treats and warm beverages. They even have ice skating available, but I didn’t think that was the best idea with my camera, so we skipped it. The night ends with a singalong and fireworks. We went on one of the coldest nights we’ve had so far this winter, but between the warm houses and the various fires set up around the village, it didn’t seem that cold. I was truly surprised by how much fun we had. I think Holiday Nights will become part of our Christmas traditions for years to come! If I’ve talked you into checking it, be aware that tickets sell out weeks in advance, especially for Fridays and Saturdays before Christmas, so when they go on sale, I wouldn’t sit on the fence too long or you might not get the day you want.