New Book by Michigan Author

Lake Orion mother of 5, Bridget Llewellyn has written a children's book called One Child, One Planet. The pictures are done by the same photographers that shot the famous Strangers in the Woods series. The book is intended to teach children all over the world how to begin a life of conservation and respect for the earth.

I have not gotten the book yet so if anyone has a copy, please chime in with your reviews!

Buy it at Borders, a Michigan-based company!

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!