Gift guide

20 things Detroit deserves

Our ideas for gifts for the Motor City

BY METRO TIMES STAFF

When it comes time for giftgiving, sometimes it helps to think of things the recipient actually needs. This holiday season, we got together and brainstormed a list of 20 things that we think Detroit could really use in 2023. Santa, if you’re reading this, maybe you can make some magic happen?

A winning football team

Win or lose, Detroiters are going to cheer for the Lions. We watched Calvin Johnson and Barry Sanders lay it all on the turf and retire without championships of their own, and celebrated Ndamukong Suh and Matthew Stafford’s Super Bowl wins, despite both winning after leaving the team. In fact, the Lions haven’t won a championship since the 1950s. It would be nice to see the team we love so much bring a trophy home, and not just in an honorary way. —Alex Washington

More grocery stores

Inflation on food products has been a hot topic, and point of concern, in recent months. But what’s worse than the rising cost of food is the lack of access to it. Earlier this year, WX YZ-TV reported that there are only 62 full-service grocery stores in the city, and many big-box stores are only available in the suburbs. It was also reported that about 30% of Detroit residents do not have a car, which means many are relying on unstable public transportation or friends to obtain basic necessities. (More on that in a minute.) While Target says it will build a store in Midtown in the coming years, and the Detroit People’s Food CoOp is working to build a Black-owned grocery store in the North End, much more is needed. —Alex Washington

Better public transportation

Most major cities have some form of reliable transportation. In Detroit, we’ve got buses that arrive seemingly whenever they feel like it, a streetcar that only runs about three miles from New Center to downtown, and a rusty old People Mover that feels like a lowbudget roller coaster. The downtown area is not the center of the universe, and residents throughout the city need a reliable way of getting to work and school. Sure, Detroit is the Motor City, but not everyone who lives here has the luxury of owning their own set of wheels. —Randiah Camille Green

Cheaper parking downtown

That said, parking in Detroit sucks — there’s no way around it. Planning for a nice evening on the town shouldn’t include budgeting an extra $50 to park to go to an event. It would also help if parking areas were more clearly marked, because not everyone loves to play the “will I come back to a ticket or a tow?” game at the end of the night.

—Alex Washington

Actual affordable housing

Apartment hunting in Detroit is like walking a tightrope, with trendy $2,000 lofts on one side and “recently renovated” flats for $1,200 surrounded by abandoned houses on the other. On top of high rent costs, Detroit is plagued by slum landlords who leave tenants in unlivable situations with frequent water shutoffs, busted boilers, and ongoing repairs in so-called historic buildings they’ve failed to bring up to modern standards. —Randiah

Camille Green

A foreclosure moratorium

Every year, thousands of low-income Detroiters lose their homes to tax foreclosures. Seized homes often sit vacant until they are stripped by scrappers, leaving neighborhoods with abandoned eyesores. It doesn’t help that Detroit

admitted that it had illegally overtaxed as many as 100,000 residents by inflating property assessments. —Steve

Neavling

More homeowners

We got some good news earlier this year — for the first time in a decade Detroit has more homeowners than renters, with 51.3% of homes in the city owner-occupied, according to the latest Census, compared to 47.8% in 2019. That’s a welcome return to the past, when Detroit once had a uniquely high rate of homeownership among U.S. cities. owever, the findings also showed a decline in Black homeownership, and the Detroit Land Bank is sitting on about 63,000 vacant lots and about 13,500 vacant structures. —Lee DeVito

People

More bad news from the Census — Detroit continues its 70-year population decline, with 639,111 residents recorded in 2020, down from its peak of nearly 2 million residents in 1950, and much of the drop coming from the loss of Black residents. The decline in population means a loss of tax base and federal funds. Mayor Mike Duggan, U.S. Rep. Rashida Tlaib, and others have challenged these findings, arguing that the Census counting method was flawed, but the fact remains that Detroit has plenty of room to grow. —Lee DeVito

More public schools

Over the past two decades, about 200 public schools in Detroit have been closed, and enrollment has dropped from more than 162,000 students to nearly 49,000 students today. The state has fueled the decline by reducing funding, closing schools, and allowing charter schools to spring up. With more than half of Detroiters living in poverty, quality public education is as important as ever. —Steve Neavling

Better recycling

Detroit offers free curbside recycling to all single-family homes if you request a blue recycling bin online. However, many Detroiters are unaware of the opt-in model, as it’s not widely publicized. Plus, the curbside recycling program doesn’t apply to apartment buildings with more than four units, so us non-homeowners have to load up our recyclables and drag them to centers like Recycle Here!, which can be a hassle. —Randiah Camille Green

More late-night dining options

There used to be more diners in metro Detroit that were open 24-7, where night owls could grab a late-night coney dog and a cup of coffee. Ever since the pandemic, though, local restaurants have scaled back their hours. We compiled a list of some spots that are open later than 10 p.m., but we wish more kept later hours. And it’s not just for concert-goers and insomniacs — more late-night businesses would be good for people who work night shifts. —Lee

DeVito

First-run movie theaters

While the years have not been kind to ollywood— with etflix, the pandemic, and the Marvel-Industrial Complex helping to decimate what we used to call the “movie industry” — things have been even more brutal in Detroit, where there is only one remaining first-run movie theater, the el Air Luxury Cinema on Eight Mile. That’s no knock on Detroit’s great art-house theaters like the DFT and Cinema Detroit, but you’re going to have to drive to the burbs to see, say, that new Avatar movie. A Detroit outpost of the Alamo Drafthouse chain was recently announced and then canceled, though rapper Big Sean has said he plans to open a multiplex with Emagine sometime in 2024. We think Detroit could use even more movie magic, though.

—Lee DeVito

Film incentives

Speaking of movies, nothing was cooler than when celebrity sightings and film crews in metro Detroit were commonplace. Back in 2008, then-Gov. Jennifer Granholm signed a package of film incentives into law that were the most aggressive in the nation, ushering in an era of major Hollywood productions here, including multiple installments of the Transformers series, among other projects. That was true until Gov. Rick Snyder ended the incentives in 2015, though some state senators are hoping to bring the incentives back to Michigan, which would not only allow the charm of the Great Lakes State to be showcased, but also bring plenty of jobs back. —Alex Washington

Less surveillance

Detroit is one of the most surveilled cities in the country. igh-definition surveillance cameras saturate downtown, as well as gas stations, schools, parks, health care centers, and low-income housing complexes. Coupled with an extensive facial recognition technology system, Detroit has eyes all over the place, though critics say the technology is flawed, pointing to the wrongful arrest of several Black men. The city also recently approved expanding ShotSpotter, a controversial technology that detects gunshots, raising concerns about increased police presence and potential civil rights abuses. —Steve Neavling Detroit’s debacle over recreational weed is one of the great clusterfucks of the century. While municipalities in the suburbs and beyond have been successfully profiting from the flourishing industry since Michigan voters legalized adult-use cannabis in 2018, Detroiters have been waiting for the City Council to get its shit together. And it’s not entirely the council’s fault — they tried to do something good for once, ensuring that lifelong Detroiters affected by the racist war on drugs would get the first shot at opening dispensaries, but some who felt discriminated against halted those efforts with lawsuits. After a revised ordinance and another slew of lawsuits that were eventually thrown out, the city has finally opened applications for adult-use dispensaries. While we continue to wait for them to become a reality, we’ll just have to continue getting our stash from nearby places like Hamtramck.

—Randiah Camille Green

Pro sports owners who don’t bill taxpayers

The billionaire owners of Detroit’s professional sports teams — the Tigers, Lions, Red Wings, and Pistons — have relied on tax dollars to build their stadiums, and public officials have been all too happy to let them. Most famously, while facing bankruptcy, the city of Detroit gave hundreds of millions of dollars in tax breaks and incentives to the Ilitch family to build a new Red Wings arena and a surrounding “District” of investment. The family has yet to follow through on its promise to develop apartments, restaurants, and other businesses, however. —Steve Neavling

That RoboCop statue

In 2011, some joker tweeted at thenmayor Dave Bing saying that Detroit needed a monument honoring the star of the 1987 sci-fi action movie RoboCop, because Philadelphia had a statue of Rocky and the cyberpunk hero “would kick Rocky’s butt.” The viral tweet sparked a crowdfunding effort that raised more than $60,000 for the cause, and respected Detroit metalworker Giorgio Gikas eventually managed to build an 11-foot tall bronze sculpture all while dealing with a cancer diagnosis. More than a decade later, however, Robo still doesn’t have a home… yet. Last month, Crain’s Detroit Business reported that the statue could be displayed at Eastern Market, but the plan has not yet been finali ed. Though we find the idea of a statue of a robot cop to be a bit cringe-inducing, especially following the 2020 protests against police brutality, Detroit needs to get this over with before they actually do invent real-life robot cops. (San Francisco is reportedly already working on it.) —Lee DeVito

A new story

There are a lot of things that annoy us, but this narrative about Detroit “making a comeback” makes our eyes roll to the back of our heads so hard we’re scared they may get stuck there one day. We’re not saying Detroit is without its problems, but merely investing in trendy downtown areas to attract suburbanites and tourists “back” into the city does not a comeback make. It is grossly offensive to Detroiters who have built their lives here and continued to live here through bankruptcy, emergency management, and corrupt leadership. We don’t necessarily have a problem with trendy restaurants cropping up, either, because we love a bougie brunch, too. But it’s problematic when TIME magazine names Detroit one of the “World’s Greatest Places” in 2022 for its “newfound glory” and “vibrant economic recovery.” For whom? Because Detroiters — the artists, visionaries, hard workers, hustlers, creatives, and families who fuel this city — have always been here. Detroit never left. We’re gonna say it louder for the people in the back. —Randiah

Camille Green

Reparations

In 2021, a resounding 80% of Detroit voters approved a measure to set up a task force to investigate reparations to make amends for generations of systemic racism, joining other cities across the U.S. including Evanston, Illinois, and Burlington, Vermont. Detroit has a strong history with supporting reparations, with former U.S. Rep. John Conyers Jr. fruitlessly introducing legislation to create a commission to explore reparations every year for nearly three decades until he retired in 2017. Detroit City Council will soon select 13 residents to serve on its new reparations task force, so it will be interesting to see what they come up with in 2023.

—Lee DeVito

A break

Detroiters are praised for how resilient they are. The story of the city has been told across the world, but the other side of that reality is Detroit shouldn’t have had to fight as much. Things like education and affordable water should be basic human rights. Suburbanites and tourists now appreciate Detroit for a good time, but long left the city to fend for itself. Detroit deserves a soft era, not one that just tells the story of grit. —Alex Washington

20

Black-owned Detroit businesses to support this holiday season

BY ALEX WASHINGTON

Detroit is one of the Blackest cities in America, but if you look around at some of the businesses that have “Detroit” highlighted in their brand name or storefront, you’d see that those businesses don t always reflect the city s demographics.

We’ve gathered a list of Black-owned Detroit businesses that are practically guaranteed to help ease your holiday shopping this season.

Two18

1400 E. Fisher Service Dr., Detroit; 313-974-6955; two18.com

If sneakers are your thing, then you likely already know about Two18. The sister store to Royal Oak’s Burn Rubber Sneaker Boutique recently collaborated with Nike for a limited edition Detroitthemed Air Jordan 2.

Harper Ray Accessories

29139 Southfield Rd., Southfield; 248-595-7099; shopharperray.com

K ash Doll once said “Ice Me Out” and at Harper Ray, every true Detroit girl gets to live out her iciest dreams for a fraction of the cost.

The Lip Bar

1435 Farmer St., Detroit; 313-952-5198; thelipbar.com

The Lip Bar might be known for their lip products, but the brand carries a lot more. An artist at the store can help match you to their face products including their 3-in-1 Tinted Moisturizer.

Glam-aholic Lifestyle

1020 Woodward Ave., Detroit; glamaholicelifestyle.com

Glam-Aholic founder Mia Ray has blessed the city with a pop-up shop this holiday season. Now through January, guests can shop the downtown pop-up and see the “G” bags in real life instead of just behind a screen.

Not Sorry Goods

22963 Woodward Ave., Ferndale; notsorrygoods.com

Not Sorry Goods is a Black-, Latinx-, and women-owned shop specializing in vintage and upcycled apparel and accessories.

Two18 owner Roland Coit.

Fahrenheit 313

20114 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-646-6043; fahrenheit313.com

If Wall Street were a sneaker store, it would be Fahrenheit 313. The sneaker exchange shop allows customers to not only purchase sneakers, but trade and consign them as well. If there was a drop that you missed, you might get lucky finding that special sneaker here.

Source Booksellers

4240 Cass Ave., Detroit; 313-832-1155; sourcebooksellers.com

This small, independent, non-fiction bookstore carefully selects the books it carries, and they fall into one of four categories: spiritual, history and culture, health and wellbeing, and books by or about women.

Three Thirteen

19495 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-468-9444

If you’re looking for anything Detroit streetwear, then look no further than Three Thirteen. The store carries Detroit brands and creates merchandise reflective of the culture. Want to rep your side of town ou can find a Westside (or Eastside) shirt here.

TONiCO Brand

66 E. Forest St., Detroit; 313-221-5542; tonicobrand.com

If you’re looking to grow your wardrobe beyond graphic tees and skinny jeans, TONiCO Brand is the store to help you do that. The women’s clothing shop carries upgraded essentials and focuses on softer, feminine pieces.

AYV x Fresher

208 W. Eleven Mile Rd., Royal Oak; 248-607-3388; ayvlifestyle.com, thefresherbrand.com

Detroiters are a fresh people, and AYV x Fresher is where one can find the freshest of Detroit streetwear.

Cream Blends

creamblends.com

Winter is coming and no one wants dry skin. Founded in the kitchen of Yolanda Williams in 2013, Cream Blends prides itself on being a premium skin care brand made with natural ingredients.

Haus of $y

hausofsy.com

Haus of Sy started during the pandemic with a signature round logo bag. It has since expanded to carry tote bags, belt bags, wallets, dresses, and much more.

David Vintage

davidvintage.com

David V intage is a streetwear brand that is sourced locally. The brand recently collaborated with artist and muralist Sheefy McFly for a limited capsule collection.

Moneyball Sportswear

30215 Southfield Rd., Southfield; 248792–9558; moneyballsportswear.com

Founded by former NBA player Desmond Ferguson, Moneyball Sportswear bridges the gap between streetwear and athletic wear.

The Hoop Mobb

hoopmobb.com

Whether you’re looking for big hoops, small hoops, or Africa-shaped hoops, the Hoop Mobb has an earring style for everybody.

House of Pure Vin

1433 Woodward Ave., Detroit; 313-638-2501; houseofpurevin.com

Sometimes a good bottle of wine makes everyone smile, and if you want to grab a really good bottle, check out this wine shop downtown.

Paisley Paper Co

paisleypaperco.com

If you want to wow your family and friends with a unique greeting card, look no further than Paisley Paper Co. The company carries cards for every occasion and also has notebooks and other stationary items.

Brooklyn Body Butter

brooklynbodybutter.com

If you want a body moisturizer with a really good, long-lasting scent, grab a jar of body butter from Brooklyn Body Butter.

K. Walker Collective

4161 Cass Ave., Detroit; kwalker.co

Since 2018, K . Walker Collective has been selling fashionable and high-quality essentials. This holiday season the brand will open its own flagship store in Midtown.

Love Travels Imports

19939 Livernois Ave., Detroit; 313-623-5800; lovetravelsimports.com

Love Travels Imports sells beautifully crafted artisan goods from South Africa, Peru, Guatemala, and Haiti right here in Detroit.

Salvaged gifts

on ro t hel s etro etroit o en rebuild their li es ith reused auto arts

BY PEG BESSETTE KNIGHT

It was a couple years ago, before the pandemic, when I first came across Mend on the Move while shopping in a local store. It was the aesthetics that first caught my eye: jewelry that was modern and somewhat industrial. It turns out it was much more industrial than I could have guessed. In tiny letters at the bottom of the packaging a message read, “jewelry created from auto parts by abuse survivors in Detroit.”

While the jewelry got my attention, it was this statement that held my attention. I bought some pieces for close friends who I knew would appreciate not only the design, but also the cause: “helping victims become survivors.”

Mend on the Move founder Joanne Ewald started the 501 c 3 nonprofit in 2015 in order to help others find a new path after abuse, just as she did. Ewald says it wasn’t until her 30s that she was able to really confront her story of abuse.

“Shame and insecurities kept me quiet,” she explains. “And, also because I learned it was best not to discuss such things. I needed to forget and just move on. But when I had children of my own, my heart was struck by their vulnerability. The thought of someone abusing them grieved me and forced me to face my own truth.”

Out of this insight came Mend on the Move, which is dedicated to helping survivors of abuse in metro Detroit by teaching them a craft, and providing them with an income while in recovery and resources toward a path forward.

“While we do sell jewelry, that s just the vehicle we use to do our real work — helping our makers feel valued, gain confidence, find independence, and grow toward healing in a caring and safe work space,” Ewald says.

he sur i ors

Sam Seelhoff runs Mend on the Move s “More Mending” program, a two-year program that starts when a survivor is hired by the nonprofit. Initially, survivors meet with Seelhoff to make plans for their life while they are in the program, and after their time with Mend on the Move is complete. These goals could relate to “living situations, employment, furthering education, and getting involved in therapy services,” says Seelhoff.

Mend also provides access to a relief fund that assists the survivors with “emergency medical costs, gas for driving to and from work or therapy services, moving costs, legal services, furthering education, and much more.” There is also a Sister Circle, a biweekly support group providing a forum for the women to “discuss what is on their minds, bond, and gain support from one another.”

After two years, each survivor chooses to step into a supervisory role with Mend on the Move if one is available, or graduate from the program to make room for a new member.

A survivor who asked that their name be withheld for privacy says that Mend on the Move has made a positive change in her life.

“It has always been on my heart since I was a young adult to help and serve other women in need,” she tells Metro Times. “Mend has supported me emotionally, psychologically and financially as well. I can now count on a regular paycheck, whereas my last job was unreliable and sporadic. The bonus from healing myself is to help and watch others grow and heal, as well.”

The survivor says it can often be hard for people to escape abusive relationships. “[It] can be hard to walk away or even know you’re in one,” she says. “It can also be scary depending on the circumstances and usually means starting your life over. Letting go of security, family members, and [facing] the stigma of being weak is not an easy thing to do. Many women don’t ask for help or are embarrassed to share what has happened to them.”

The survivor says she found out about the program through a chance meeting with Ewald.

“I met Joanne, the founder of Mend before it came to be, at a church art show called Free Spirit,” she says. “We became friends at a time when both of our lives were transitioning. I soon learned of her abuse and her desire to do more in helping other survivors overcome their victimhood. This is where we discovered we had similar experiences and goals.”

Eventually, the survivor started working for Mend on the Move, and says she enjoyed the artistic process.

“The creative process at Mend can be as simple or more complicated as you’d like it to be,” she says. “We often use power tools, like drills, saws, and dremels. Overcoming the fear of using these tools can be liberating and metaphorically empowering. For me, repurposing unusual auto parts that would normally be thrown out gets my creative juices flowing. Looking at shapes, combining parts or manipulating objects can be exciting.”

She says she is most proud of watching the organization develop over the years.

“Since I was privileged to watch Mend grow from a seed, I walked and learned right alongside Joanne and many other women survivors,” she says. “There are many things I am proud of at Mend like seeing people change and overcome their fears, making positive changes in their life, and fulfilling their life dreams. For me personally it has given me self-worth. I have dealt with insecurities most of my life and I have gained more self confidence over the last couple years.”

A convertible cross-body bag and backpack that, in its former life, was a headrest for a Ford Explorer.

An unli el dia ond in the rough

Automakers like General Motors, Ford, Lear’s Eagle Ottawa Leather, and other companies donate automotive scrap and leather to the group. In the Motor City, it couldn’t really be anything other than automotive scraps that would help to tell this story. But it takes more than hustle to pull this off. It takes true creativity.

Mend on the Move’s catalog includes earrings and bracelets made from powertrain shims, bushing material, brass washers, aluminum discs, and flattened car seat component scrap. There are also bracelets made from windshield washer tubing and copper brake line, as well as purses, throw pillows, table runners, dog leashes, wallets, and key chains all made from salvaged car seat leather. The group has also collaborated with Detroit’s College for Creative Studies.

As Mend on the Move notes on its website, items are sustainably handcrafted by abuse survivors, and 100% of proceeds support the nonprofit, “providing fair wages, safe work environment, empowerment, [and] healing.” Every piece tells a story about the parts it was made from and bears the signature of the maker on its packaging. This kind of intention permeates the organization and the pieces that its makers create. At a time of year when we’re surrounded by box store shelves piled high with mass-produced items, this perspective is refreshing. Instead, these works are intentional, handmade, and personal.

More information is available at mendonthemove.org, where people can purchase products, find local stores that carry them, learn how to host a “Mending Party” event, or donate to the organization.

20

things to do in metro Detroit that will put you in the holiday spirit

BY METRO TIMES STAFF

We may have had to bring out the heavier coats and wool hats, but that doesn’t mean Detroiters have turned completely cold as the holiday season approaches. From photos with some Santa Claus to dazzling Christmas light displays, the metro Detroit area has a lot to offer this holiday season.

Wayne County’s annual light display

Take a spin through Hines Park as the Wayne County Lightfest will host over 50 animated displays with more than 100,000 lights. For more information, see w aynecounty.com.

Relive Hudson’s at the Detroit Historical Museum

The holiday season wasn’t the holiday season in Detroit without the magic of the former J. L. Hudson Department Store. The Detroit Historical Museum taps into that nostalgia with the return of its Hudson’s Holiday exhibit. For more information, see detroithistorical.org.

Shop in Cadillac Square

Downtown Detroit Market has returned to Cadillac Square, where visitors can shop local businesses while staying warm in the heated booths. For more in formation and a complete list of vendors, see dow ntow ndetroitparks.com.

Take a festive walk at Meadow Brook Hall’s Holiday Walk

If poinsettias and twinkling lights mark the holiday season, there’s plenty of cheer at Meadow Brook Hall. Enjoy a stroll through and experience the displays set for the season. For more information, see meadow brookhall.org.

Take a cool slide at Monroe Street Midway

For the first time, Detroit s Monroe Street Midway is going to be filled with winter activities. Gone are the drivein and roller rink that ruled over the summer. The Bedrock-owned space now has bumper cars, an arctic slide, and more. For more information visit deckedoutdetroit.com.

Have breakfast with Santa at the Ford House

Christmas may be a few weeks away, but you can chow down with Santa at the Edsel & Eleanor Ford House in Grosse Pointe. Each ticket includes breakfast and a visit from Santa to your table. For tickets and more information, see fordhouse.org.

Visit the world’s largest Christmas store

When it comes to Christmas in Michigan, Frankenmuth does it best. It helps when one of the largest Christmas-themed stores just so happens to be located there. At Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland, it’s Christmas all year round.

Take a carriage ride through downtown Detroit

Hallmark movies always make carriage rides through the city look like the ideal setting for a wintry romantic night. Fortunately for us, we can try it out ourselves right in the heart of downtown. For more information, including pricing, see dow ntow ndetroitparks.com.

Support a local vendor at Eastern Market’s holiday markets

This holiday season, Eastern Market is making your holiday shopping easier. The market on Tuesdays is focused on food vendors allowing you to get all the ingredients and edible gifts for the holidays, while the weekend market is more general. For dates and times, see easternmarket.org.

Check out the lights at the Detroit Zoo

Go wild at the Detroit Zoo when it’s transformed into a festive display of lights. While none of the animal exhibits will be open, visitors can check out the Wildlife Photographer of the Year exhibit. For hours and pricing, see detroitzoo.org.

Visit Holiday Nights at reen eld illage

Take a wintry spin in a Model T, ride in a carriage, listen to the carolers, or enjoy all the other holiday activity happening in Dearborn s Greenfield V illage. For more information, see thehenryford.org.

Head to the mall for photos with Santa

Nothing says Christmas like a cheesy mall photo with Santa Claus. Sure, some sets keep Saint Nick socially distant from you, but the sentiment is the same. Santa is making appearances at Fairlane Town Center, Oakland Mall, Laurel Park Place, Great Lakes Crossing, Twelve Oaks Mall, The Somerset Collection, and The Mall at Partridge Creek.

Ice skate in Campus Martius Park

Is it even a Detroit holiday season without a spin around the rink in Campus Martius? The rink is open for skating now through March. For hours and pricing, see dow ntow ndetroitparks.com.

Listen to the DSO play your favorite holiday carols

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra is not only bringing H ome A lone alive this season by performing the entire score, they are also performing a weekend full of carols and songs to get you in the spirit. For a complete list of events, see dso.org.

Drive through holiday lights at Pine Knob

Take a cruise through Pine K nob for Magic of the Lights, a display of LED and animated lights. For tickets and hours, see magicoflights.com. Let your pup take a pic with Saint Nick Santa Claus gets a lot of love this time of year, but what about Santa paws? Malls like Oakland Mall and Twelve Oaks Mall are having special days for your furry friends to take pictures with Santa Claus. You can also check your local PetSmart for Santa photos as well.

Grab a bottle and take a Christmas Light Trolley Tour

What better way to view lights than a BYOB Christmas light tour on a trolley through the city? Journey by trolley viewing light displays in Rochester, the Detroit Zoo, and downtown Detroit. For tickets and trolley information, see eventbrite.com.

Stroll through a lighted winter wonderland at Glenlore Trails

Glenlore Trails were spooky for Halloween, and now they re offering a little bit of festive cheer this holiday season. The mile-long trail has been transformed into a winter wonderland. For more information and tickets, see glenloretrails.com.

Drink and pedal your way through the Holiday Lights Beer Bike Bar Crawl

It may be cooler outside, but that doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a ride on a pedal bike bar through downtown Detroit. This bar crawl combines a drinking tour at a few popular bars and the sights of downtown. For more information and tickets, see eventbrite.com.

Check out the Cirque Du Soleil Christmas show

There’s nothing like a good holiday performance during the holiday season. Cirque Du Soleil has brought its first Christmas show, Tw as the N ight Before, to the Fox Theatre. For more information visit, including show times and tickets, see 313presents.com.