Really Big Christmas Stores

It's that time of year, folks. Christmas, Hannukah, Kwanzaa and Yule are all upon us. Michigan is lucky enough to have not one, but two large holiday stores for your shopping pleasure. Now, admittedly, both are heavily Christmas (one very much so) but the patient shopper will be able to find items for the other holidays as well.

The first, and probably the best known is Bronner's in Frankenmuth. This place is immense! They have thousands of ornaments, hundreds of wreaths and trees and who knows how many other decorations, books and toys. They also have a wonderful selection of Hummels and Christmas village houses and accessories. You can easily spend several hours here, so I suggest making Frankenmuth a day trip. Hit up Bronner's and then head over to either Zehnder's or Bavarian Inn for yummy chicken dinners. From either restaurant, you can easily walk the downtown area and check out some of the other local stores. Check the Frankenmuth website for deals and special events, like Oktoberfest and Snowfest.

The other Christmas shop is Always Christmas in Canterbury Village. Located in Lake Orion, Canterbury Village has a restaurant, an ice cream shop and several smaller shops that surround Always Christmas. Always Christmas is smaller than Bronner's, but still large, with two stories of trees, ornaments, and decorations.

If you need a little help getting in the holiday mood, I suggest checking out one of these great places. It's impossible to leave either one without humming a carol!

Favorite Michigan Holiday Activity?

OK, now it's your turn! Leave a comment and tell everyone about your favorite holiday activity in Michigan.
Do you love the cider mills? Christmas at Crossroads? The light display on Hines Drive? What are the folks up north doing this season? Or over on the west side of the state?

One lucky commenter will be chosen to receive a Michigan Mitten ornament with their choice of colors and "hearted" city!! So, let everyone know where you'll be heading this season!

A winner will be chosen on Sunday, November 29th! Blog, Tweet, Facebook or link this post and let me know in the comments for an extra entry!

Having a Handmade (and Local!) Holiday

It's getting to be that time of year. The winter holidays are getting close and that means folks are going to be shopping for gifts! Let me suggest that you support the local economy, as well as hard-working local artists, by making the commitment to have a handmade holiday.

 It's not hard to find handmade gifts from right here in Michigan. Here are several ways to find them:
1) Visit a local craft show. Many schools and churches have them this time of year. There is probably at least one near you!
2) Check out Artfire's Michigan Artists Guild.
3) Check out Etsy and do a search for "Michigan Trolls". It's a group of Michigan artists. Or just search "Michigan".
4) Check out local boutiques and craft malls that bring together many handmade artists for convienent shopping. Try The Town Peddler in Livonia or Countryside Craft Mall in Sterling Heights.

If you're anything like me you're tired of buying a bunch of mass-produced items for holiday giving. This year, concentrate on spending the same money that you would've spent at the local department store at a craft fair, craft mall or an online artist venue. You may not be able to get as many items for each person for the same money, but I guarantee that the items you get will be of better quality and more cherished than anything you could find on a shelf full of identical, mass-produced "stuff". You will also be supporting the Michigan economy on the most basic level.

So get out there and start shopping!