SANTA CLAUS - SANTA SITES - THE NORTH POLE - CHRISTMAS and HOLIDAY INFORMATION

NorthPole.com - "a commercial banner-free, child-safe Web site designed to provide a family-oriented Christmas site for children and families to share together."

Claus.com - North Pole Village with fun things to do for both kids and parents, check Naughty or Nice rating, choose an Elf Buddy, play games in Elf School, print your Honorary Elf Diploma, sing along with new original Christmas songs, follow Santa Claus in his sleigh on Christmas Eve, more.

SantaSpeaking.com - we offer personalized Santa Claus experiences that are modeled after the ideal Santa Claus figure, spreading Santa's magic to children, conveying his strong ethics and sense of generosity, to Santa believers everywhere.

Email Santa - send email to Santa. plus Reindeer Voting, Christmas Jokes, Christmas webcams, more.

Christmas Humor - jokes & stories, very cool and very funny! part of HumorMatters.

Celebrating Christmas - crafts projects, party themes, recipes, homemade gift ideas.

Santa.net - Santa Claus Animations, Rudolph, Elf & Reindeer Games, Santa Christmas Songs, Stories, Pictures, Animated Santa Claus' House, Santa Claus Reindeer Animation, more.

Kaboose Holiday Guide - family friendly Christmas activities and ideas.

NoradSanta.com - coming again in December 2008. on Christmas Eve, the North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) tracks Santa in his sleigh.

Charles W. Howard Santa Claus School - a non-profit organization, was established in 1937 and is the longest continuously running Santa Claus School in the world. Located in Midland, Michigan.

The True Meaning of Christmas - if you never learned it or have forgotten it, this page explains it.

The True Spirit of Christmas - a serious religious explanation.

MICHIGAN CHRISTMAS EVENTS and HOLIDAY EVENTS

November 15, 2008 (sat): Christmas Letters - A Music & Comedy Revue - presented by the Curtain Up Theatre Company at the Warren Community Center Auditorium. part of proceeds benefit MCREST.

November 21, 2008 (fri): Annual Lighting of Detroit's Holiday Tree - at Campus Martius Park in Downtown Detroit.

November 22, 2008 (sat): Holiday Magic Parade - in Downtown Royal Oak (just north of Detroit). 7th Annual, over 55 floats. starts 10am and visits with Santa follow the parade from 11am – 1pm.

November 23-26, 28-30, 2008: 24th Annual Festival of Trees - in Allen Park (south of Detroit). It's one of the largest annual special event fundraisers benefiting Children's Hospital of Michigan. professionally designed holiday trees, locally designed 2' trees, individually designed centerpieces and more, plus visits by Santa.

November 27, 2008 (thu):Detroit's Annual Thanksgiving Day Parade in Downtown Detroit. Officially it's called America's Thanksgiving Parade, one of the largest Thanksgiving Day Parades in the U.S. with award-winning floats, larger than life balloons, bands, celebrities, papier-maché heads and SANTA!

November 28 - Black Friday, the day after Thanksgiving - traditional start of Christmas Season shopping specials.
to see deals from big name stores → www.gottadeal.com   www.bfads.net   www.blackfriday.info

November 28, 2008 (fri): 33rd annual Grosse Pointe Santa Claus Parade in Grosse Pointe and Grosse Pointe Farms. 10am to 5pm, ending with a tree lighting ceremony.

November 29, 2008 (sat): "Too Hot To Handel" holiday classic at the Detroit Opera House. Features the Rackham Symphony Choir, tenors Rodrick Dixon and Victor Trent Cook, formerly of the “Three Mo’ Tenors” and soprano Alfreda Burke. They are joined by the Too Hot To Handel Orchestra which includes an all-star ensemble of Detroit jazz legends including Marion Hayden, George Benson, Alvin Waddles, Dave Taylor, Chris Collins, and Ed Gooch along with members of the Michigan Opera Theatre Orchestra. tickets $18 to $125.

November 29-30, 2008 (sat-sun): Holidays on Parade in Detroit. Benefits The Parade Company (Detroit's Thanksgiving Day Parade). "See your favorite floats and characters from the parade up close. Take part in a fun day for the whole family with face painting, games and prizes, arts and crafts, live entertainment and delicious treats! Share a visit with Santa! Children of all ages will enjoy a visit to our studio. Admission (last year) $5 per person (2 and under are free)."

December 6, 2008 (sat): Annual Noel Night in Midtown Detroit. 36th Annual. 5-9:30pm in Midtown Detroit's Cultural Center Area. Over 30 institutions, including the Detroit Institute of Arts, the Detroit Science Center, and the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History open their doors to the public free of charge during this Cultural Center-wide holiday "open house". Activities include horse-drawn carriage rides, holiday shopping, family craft activities and performances by over 70 area music, theatre, and dance groups. The evening's festivities culminate with a community sing-along on Woodward Avenue led by the Salvation Army Band — a long-standing Noel Night tradition.

December 6-7, 13-14, 20-21, 2008 (saturdays-sundays): Annual Dickens Festival in Holly (northwest corner of Oakland County). Admission is FREE. Join in the fun as Charles Dickens' Merry Old England comes alive. Central to the celebration are characters from Dickens’ “A Christmas Carol” – Ebenezer Scrooge, Jacob Marley, The Ghost of Christmas Past and many others – brought to life by members of The Festival Singers. Plus Guest choirs, Giant Bubble Making, horse and carriage ride, and audience participation games. Each weekend will feature different activities such as an ice sculptor, black smith, candle maker, a parade of lights, geocaching and snow shoeing activities, fire-eater and many other unique and exciting things to do and see.

December 13, 2008 (sat): Detroit Blues Society Annual Holiday Bash and Jam at Memphis Smoke in Royal Oak (just north of Detroit). 100 S. Main St, Royal Oak, MI 48067. ph# 248-543-4300. 9pm - 1am. scheduled musical host is the Motor City Women.

December 20, 2008 (sat): Detroit Santarchy - Santa themed pub crawl visiting 12 bars in Detroit. Put on your Santa suits, Elf Suits, Naughty Miss Clause Suits and get ready for another mayhem filled night of Santarchy. Bus pass this year is $20, Santa Suits (or Santa's Helpers) are required.

December 26, 2008 (fri): Annual Motor City Music Foundation Holiday Blues Bash - starting 9pm at Memphis Smoke located at 100 S Main in Royal Oak. $10 Donation - All proceeds go to the Motor City Music Foundation / Detroit Music Awards. Featured Blues Artists are Count Bracey and the Pleasuretones, Phil Devoid, The Motor City Kings, and the Harmonica Shah Band.

CHRISTMAS HOLIDAY ATTRACTIONS IN MICHIGAN USA
plus VISIT SANTA - SLEIGH RIDES - REAL REINDEER - and more

Bronner's Christmas Wonderland in Frankenmuth (east lower peninsula, north of Flint).
YEAR-ROUND attraction for all ages. "World's Largest Christmas store. Every evening Bronner's ½-mile long Christmas Lane glistens with thousands of twinkling lights. Over two million people, including 2,000 group tours, visit Bronner's attraction annually."

Christmas and Holiday Traditions Around the World in Grand Rapids (west lower peninsula) at Frederik Meijer Gardens & Sculpture Park. 300,000 lights, strolling carolers, horse-drawn carriage rides and more than 40 international trees and displays. November 19th, 2008 - January 4th, 2009.

The Santa Train in Coopersville (west of Grand Rapids in west lower peninsula), Nov 29th - December 21st, 2008. Train rides with Santa, Elves, presents, story-telling on the passenger cars of the Coopersville & Marne Railway.

Carousel Acres in South Lyon (west of Detroit).
Has Real Live Reindeer! Plus Santa Claus, Mrs. Claus, some adorable elves and sleigh rides.

Santa's Village in Chesaning (east-middle lower peninsula, northwest of Flint).
Generally Saturdays & Sundays from Nov 29th to Dec 21st. Visit with Santa, Holiday rides, Giant slide, Free entertainment, Huge model railroad display, North Pole Express Steam Engine Rides, more.

Sundays in Bay City (east-middle lower peninsula) during November and December. Each Sunday includes FREE Traditional Horse-Drawn Carriage Rides from noon till 3pm, Strolling Carolers & Sidewalk Musicians (weather permitting), drawings, more. Plus Visit Santa on Friday 11/28 7-9pm.

Common & Gentry Carriage Company - has sleigh rides. They have locations in Ann Arbor and Alma. call 616-204-3190.

Pinecrest Percherons and Carriages - has a Winter Horse Drawn Sleigh Ride and Dinner package. located in Lapeer (northwest of Detroit), 810-667-2721.

For Mike's complete list of Horse Drawn Carriages services in Michigan → click here

Places in Michigan with Great Names for This Time of Year

Christmas, Michigan - a small town in the U.P. (Munising Area, middle of Upper Peninsula) [more info].

Paradise, Michigan - a small town in the U.P. (north-eastern tip of Upper Peninsula).

North Star Township - in Gratiot County (middle of Michigan's lower peninsula).

Good Hart, Michigan - town in the northern tip of the lower peninsula.

Gladwin - City in northern half of Michigan's lower peninsula.

Coldwater - City in lower Michigan (a little north of the Ohio border).

Rich Township - in Southeast Michigan (Lapeer County, north of Detroit).

CHRISTMAS LIGHTING DISPLAYS and HOLIDAY LIGHT SHOWS in Michigan

Bay City, MI - "City of Lights" (a.k.a. River of Lights) - an annual Christmas display - cancelled for 2008 due to budget constraints [details].

Battle Creek, MI - 2008 International Festival of Lights - Nov 22nd to Dec 31st.

Flint, MI - Christmas at Crossroads Holiday Magic - The entire village is aglow with colored lights and more lights decorate the railroad's locomotive, coaches and trackside displays. see web page for available viewing dates during Nov 28th to Dec 30th 2008.

Livonia, MI - Livonia Lights - annual synchronized Christmas light display dedicated to celebrating the birth of Jesus Christ.

Rochester, MI - The Big Bright Light Show - December 1, 2008 to January 4, 2009.

St. Clair Shores, MI - December Holiday Lights - Dec 1st to Dec 30th, 2009. Holiday Light Display at Wahby Park along the Nautical Mile, on Jefferson between 9 and 10 Mile roads.

Wayne County, MI - Wayne County LightFest (just west of Detroit) on Hines Drive, November 20, 2008 - January 1, 2009. 4 1/2 miles of giant animated displays and nearly a million lights along Hines Drive, it's the Midwest's largest Holiday Light Show. Drive through 7 p.m. to 10 p.m. daily [closed Christmas Day]. Enter at Hines Drive and Merriman, 2 1/2 miles south of I-96 in Westland. A minimum of $5 per car helps keep LightFest operating. For more info call: 734-261-1990.

CHRISTMAS AND HOLIDAY LED LIGHTS - indoor, outdoor, white, blue, red, green, yellow, multi-color, string lights, snowflakes, candles, icicles, stars, SolarLED, 6' LED Tree and many more! searchable.

HIRE A MICHIGAN SANTA CLAUS - MICHIGAN SANTAS - SANTA SERVICES

SantaDotCom - Year-round Professional Santa Services, 25 years experience, based in Macomb MI. 586-263-8230.

Santa Jim - Have Santa make a special visit to your home, party, business, wedding or special event you're having in Michigan. based in Wolverine Lake, 248 area code.

Michigan Santa Claus - a real bearded Santa Claus based in Oak Park, serving the Detroit metro area and lower Michigan. holiday events and parties.

Michigan Santas - listed at SantaForHire.com. 6 Santas for hire, use request form on their site.

MICHIGAN CHRISTMAS VENDORS - HOLIDAY VENDOR SERVICES

Michigan Christmas Tree Association (MCTA) - helps you find a Choose and Cut farm to select your tree or the nearest retail lot to pick up a pre-cut tree. Real Trees, farm-grown, fresh Christmas trees in Michigan.

Justin Carriage Works - get a real sleigh (horse drawn type!). Company is based in Nashville, MI, which is located southwest of Lansing. phone 517-852-9743. This is also a great place to get many types of horse-drawn style carriages, buggies, wagons, hearses and pull-carts.

DO A GOOD DEED DURING THIS CHRISTMAS SEASON - PEOPLE NEED OUR HELP
SOME IDEAS FOR MADMAN MIKE'S FELLOW RESIDENTS IN MICHIGAN

Make-A-Wish Foundation® of Michigan - "grants the wishes of children with life-threatening medical conditions to enrich the human experience with hope, strength, and joy."

Old Newsboys' Goodfellow Fund of Detroit - "sole mission is to ensure that there is No Kiddie Without a Christmas". Each holiday season the Detroit Goodfellows distribute holiday gift boxes to children ages five through 13 living in Detroit, Highland Park and Hamtramck. Each child receives warm clothing, toys, books, games and candy. They also have Shoe, Dental, Campership programs.

Toys for Tots South East Michigan | Bay County | Toys for Tots Michigan contacts
Objective of the Marine Toys for Tots Foundation is to help needy children throughout the United States experience the joy of Christmas, to play an active role in the development of one of our nation's most valuable natural resources - our children, to unite all members of local communities in a common cause for three months each year during the annual toy collection and distribution campaign, and to contribute to improving communities in the future.

Santa Claus Girls of Grand Rapids - a 501 (C) 3 nonprofit corporation, goal is to see that no child in Kent County is without a gift on Christmas morning.

Operation Quiet Comfort (OQC) - "Your donations help us to provide meaningful support to our wounded warriors and the amazing medical professionals who care for them. OQC is positioned at U.S. Combat Support Hospitals, Troop Medical Clinics, and with medic teams on the front lines." This is a 100% volunteer nonprofit organization based in LaSalle, MI.

Forgotten Harvest - Donated food is delivered free of charge to emergency food providers in the metro Detroit area. It rescues nearly 8 million pounds of food per year by collecting surplus prepared and perishable food from a variety of sources such as grocery stores, restaurants, caterers, dairies, farmers, wholesale food distributors, and other Health Department-approved sources.

Capuchin Soup Kitchen (Detroit) - "serves the poor who suffer from the lack of basic human needs: material needs, such as food, clothing, and household necessities; psychological needs, such as motivation, self-esteem, and rehabilitation; and social needs, such as support systems and meaningful relationships."

Detroit Rescue Mission - "founded in Detroit in 1909 and February 14, 2007 will mark its 98th year of service to Detroit's needy and homeless. The Detroit Rescue Mission Ministries is a Christian faith-based charitable organization, accredited by the Commission for Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF). DRMM is dedicated to meeting the basic needs of humanity, while motivating individuals to rebuild their lives, one life at a time."

COTS Detroit - Coalition on Temporary Shelter - helping the homeless in Detroit.

Lighthouse of Oakland County - helping the homeless in Oakland County.

ChristNet - "a seasonal rotating emergency shelter (open October through May) for men, women, and children when accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. As a shared ministry of more than fifty Protestant and Catholic churches in the Downriver and western Wayne County suburbs, the goal of ChristNet is to insure that no one has to be left out in the cold."

Penrickton Center for Blind Children - Based in Taylor, MI. "a private non-profit agency, providing five-day residential, day care, and consultation/evaluation services to blind, multi-disabled children ages one through twelve. Each program is individually designed to promote independence in all aspects of daily living. There is no charge to families for our services provided to their children! Penrickton Center for Blind Children relies solely on private donations for all programs and services. Penrickton Center does not receive any State, Federal, Insurance or United Way funding. All donations to Penrickton Center are tax deductible."

The Salvation Army in Eastern Michigan and in Western Michigan

These are just a few. There are many others who desperately need a helping hand.
Consider offering yours → click here

BONUS INFORMATION - ADDITIONAL RESOURCES - ODDS & ENDS

Holiday Gag Gifts - Lumpy The Dancing Lump of Coal, I'm Not Santa T-Shirt, Holiday Toilet Paper, Nasty Mistletoe Dirty Talker, Inflatable Christmas Tree, Pull My Finger Farting Santa Claus, more.

Energy Efficient Christmas and Holiday Lights - LED's that use 90% less energy than standard bulbs.

Trees For Troops 2008 (Friday, Dec. 5 to Sunday, Dec. 7) - Consumers can visit designated retail lots & farms during Trees for Troops Weekend to purchase and donate a Real Christmas Tree to be distributed to military families nationwide. The Christmas Spirit Foundation joined forces with state Christmas tree associations to provide fresh, farm-grown Christmas trees to the men and women serving and defending our country.

Secret Santa - SecretSanta.org is a non-profit (501c-3) organization that connects individuals with local toy drives - helping drive much-needed support, gifts and donations to children during the holiday season.

SantaCon - mass gatherings of people dressed in Santa Claus costumes having a good time on various dates in many cities around the world.

Popular Christmas Songs

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