It is common knowledge throughout my office, my friends and family that I love the holiday season.  I admit that I am a pre-thanksgiving Christmas music listener and some of my favorite memories have been making Christmas cookies while listening to our Mannheim Steamroller cassette tape.  While this December was hard to get into the holiday spirit being so far away from home in Wisconsin, there were a few key highlights that made Detroit feel just like home for the holidays.

1.) Noel Night – Noel night is an event in the Midtown neighborhood of Detroit in which “art and music collide for one spectacular evening”.  There were over one hundred venues and I spent my time volunteering for Preservation Detroit at the David Mackenzie House.  I ventured out to see the tail end of festivities including a shadow puppet show, caroling by the DIA and eating some street cart polish food.

2.) My first real blizzard in two years!  Even though this was an unplanned event, a Sunday snowstorm blanketed my little neighborhood while I bundled up and worked on our challenge project under the comfort of many blankets and hot chocolate.  Then I later ventured out in the snow for a quiet walk.  While we didn’t get as much snow as a previous blizzard in my hometown, (32 inches in 24 hours!) this still was my first real blizzard since moving back to the Midwest.

3) Campus Martius and downtown Detroit: With Christmas fast approaching I took in one last Holiday staple, visiting the tree and skating rink down at Campus Martius.  A few of us fellows went down to the Parc bar and took in all of the sights and sounds of the holidays.  While I didn’t go skating myself, I had a front row seat to all of the fun and sometimes the falls of the outdoor rink.  Downtown Detroit was transformed into a magical, light-filled place and even the cold couldn’t stop people from going out and enjoying the atmosphere.

4) Holiday Brass: My last Holiday event was through the Detroit Passport to the Arts program.  DP2A provides an introduction to the Detroit arts and cultural scene for people 45 and under, the packages not only include venues such as concerts, museums or plays but also an after party for the chance to try new bars and restaurants in Detroit while meeting new people.  I am a self-proclaimed band geek so when I found out we would be attending an orchestra concert I was very excited.  The performance was amazing with a grand finale of Ode to Joy including a full choir.  Being held in the beautiful St. Johns Church near the Fox Theatre was also a plus.