Christmas

When the holidays come around, Norte “elves” hit the streets helping to recycle live trees.

The ancient Christmas Cactus on my table almost went in the compost a few months ago. Shriveled and gray, it looked unhealthy and unhappy and no wonder. There were little teeth marks at the end of each branch from encounters with the cat.

An on-demand playlist of music for the Christmas season inspired by Repose with Frank Slaughter

Ben Whiting's passion for Charles Dickens and A Christmas Carol returns each year for him like the Ghost of Christmas Past. Writer Joe Beyer was intrigued, and profiled the artist preparing for a new, one man show, and a world still in need of the lessons Dickens left us.

Most people aren’t thinking about Christmas this time of year, but Santa Claus is already planning for it. For some people in northern Michigan who dress up as Santa every year, the job is a lot more involved than you might think.

“I’ve gotten more calls this year than I’ve ever gotten for people looking for wholesale trees,” said Jamie Helsel, who owns a Christmas tree farm in McBain. “They can’t find ‘em.”

Enjoy this collection of recent holiday concerts from Interlochen Arts Academy, Manitou Winds, the NMC Concert Band, Traverse City West High School, the Traverse Symphony Orchestra, the NMC Chorale and Chamber Singers and the Great Lakes Chamber Orchestra and Chorus.

The Colorado Caroling Company shares the joy of performing holiday favorites for appreciative audiences.

It’s about 5 o’clock on a snowy night in Frankfort. It’s already dark outside, and the temperature is about 20 degrees. Marley Demers is bundled up in his snow gear. He’s headed to his unheated barn to create holiday wreaths. He turns on the barn lights and Christmas music for a little motivation.

My mother loved Christmas. The decorating began early and covered every available surface—holly on the banister, stockings on the mantel, candles on the tables.