Even though it's tough to get your hands on the top holiday toys & gifts this year, you can still make everyone’s season merry & bright! Jot down these Great Lakes Bay holiday happenings and give the best gift of all: Pure Michigan memories!
Deck the halls with a little help from Bronner’s CHRISTmas Wonderland. With 50,000 trims & gifts, 300 decorated trees on display, and 6,000 styles of ornaments to choose from — it’s always the most wonderful time of the year at the World’s Largest Christmas Store in Frankenmuth!
Find Fantasy Carriage Company or Frankenmuth Carriage Company for a cozied-up, horse-drawn tour through Frankenmuth's magical (and many) holiday lights. Country Living called this "Little Bavaria" one of “55 Best Christmas Towns to Put on Your Holiday Bucket List”!
Visit Santa & Mrs. Claus (their reindeer, too, on special weekends) at the Santa House in Midland. As the world’s oldest Santa school, this cheerful spot is where Santa-hopefuls learn how to fill the boots, groom the beard, and don the big, red suit!
Cruise along your merry way through Downtown Midland’s decorated streets aboard a miniature, trackless train — the Northern Star. Choo-choo! These festive, 15-minute rides depart from the Santa House throughout its regular season.
Take in the elaborate toy displays and listen to a model train chug around the cabin while you wait to talk wishlists with Santa at the Nate & Mary Ida Doan Santa House. Keep your eyes peeled — reindeer make regular visits here, too!
Go walking in a winter wonderland — Dow Gardens’ 110 sprawling acres — with the peaceful mood set by carolers and candlelight. Meet Santa’s reindeer, sip warm beverages, and enjoy a nostalgic, old-fashioned evening at no cost during the annual Dow Gardens Christmas Walk.
Grab hot cocoa, fresh-roasted chestnuts, and street fare as you make your way through Downtown Saginaw, lined with luminaries for Holidays in the Heart of the City! Enjoy open houses and Christmas concerts, a pop-up symphony orchestra performance, horse-drawn wagon and pony rides, and fireworks over Ojibway Island — all free! Don’t miss the next day’s Christmas Parade and two spectacular holiday markets.
That frame-worthy photo of your crew you've been after for this year's holiday cards? Capture it on a visit to Santa’s Reindeer Farm in Frankenmuth! Santa will be there with his reindeer-in-training for these magical, stroll-through events on Grandpa Tiny’s Farm. See barns trimmed with beautiful garland and lights; meet Santa and his jolly helpers; purchase fresh-cut trees and handmade wreaths; and craft a souvenir ornament with a woodworker!
Be dazzled by the Festival of Trees in Midland! Browse a banquet hall filled with show-stopping trees — and toss in raffle tickets for the chance to win your favorite.
Any of three special winter weekends, explore a European-style Christmas market just like the ones in Germany — the Frankenmuth ChristKindlMarkt. Shop artisan goods from 40-plus vendors while you savor holiday treats & sips under the pavilion lined with twinkling lights.
You’ll be home for Christmas with an inviting holiday house tour during Christmas at The Pines. Smell the fresh garland and be filled with cheer as you tour this National Historic Landmark on the grounds of Midland's Dow Gardens.
A bustling holiday market featuring local makers, live music, and decorated trees — the Great Lakes Market Holiday Celebration in Essexville is a gift-giver’s haven that’s not to be missed!
Feel extra-jolly at Frankenmuth River Place Shops! On special Tis the Season Weekends, this European-style village of shops is filled with lights and lively caroling. Pop by for a Santa meet-and-greet and snap photos by the North Pole-themed backdrop!
Experience the joys of Sundays in the City. With a soundtrack of strolling carolers and the soft clop of hooves from carriage rides — the four Sundays leading up to Christmas are absolutely magical in Bay City. Catch a classic holiday flick & grab those last-minute gifts!
Watch the Midland Santa Parade jingle through town, then mix & mingle in Downtown Midland at the after-party Hot Cocoa Crawl! Each participating warm-up stop will be pouring their own signature recipe; come ready to sample!
After decades in Downtown Chesaning, the 2021 Chesaning Candle Walk moves to a new riverfront location in Cole Park. Streets will be glowing with luminaries and food trucks will be serving up festive bites. Don’t miss the live reindeer and horse-drawn carriage rides!
Spark more joy with your holiday shopping when you visit Downtown Midland during Holly Jolly Days. Local shops are offering can’t-miss savings; free horse-drawn carriage rides on Main Street make the entire experience merry!
Follow the map to holiday magic on Little Bavaria’s “Little” Driving Light Tour of Frankenmuth! Crank the heat and the Christmas tunes as you cruise along this merry route — including 150+ trees on Main Street wrapped in warm-white bulbs. If you'd rather stroll through the lights instead, there are Stop & Snap locations all across town with Instagrammable backdrops made for holiday photos!
An elevated light show experience, Frankenmuth’s Spectacular Musical Tree Show is a 40-foot, color-changing tree with lights that dance to a festive, 7-minute loop of holiday music! Catch one of its daily Downtown shows at the Frankenmuth Visitor Center.
See Downtown Saginaw come alive with a colorful glow all its own during the Saginaw Waterworks Lighting Ceremony — the official start of Holidays in the Heart of the City!
Hot cocoa in-hand, radio up: enjoy The Freeland Lights from the coziness of your car! Pull into Tittabawassee Township Park and tune into 93.9 FM to experience this impressive holiday light show, synced to Christmas classics and modern holiday hits. Shows run nightly from 5:30 p.m. – 10:20 p.m. all through December. Past 9 p.m., viewers can help pick the playlist!
Announcing Santa’s arrival in town and unlocking the doors to his Santa House for the season, the Midland County Courthouse Lighting features a dazzling display and an epic sleigh-ride entrance. Don’t miss a moment!
From Holiday Pops and A Magical Cirque Christmas to Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer: The Musical — at Midland Center for the Arts, you're sure to find a favorite.
Treat the family to Holiday Pops: Saginaw Sings at the historic Temple Theatre. Hear popular yuletide selections performed by the Saginaw Bay Symphony & Youth Orchestras, Saginaw Choral Society, and Saginaw-native Todd Hall, featured on NBC’s The Voice.
Grab a seat at State Theatre of Bay City to catch Sundays in the City Holiday Movies or hear Grammy-nominated Jim Brickman on piano as he presents The Gift of Christmas.
With Mannheim Steamroller Christmas by Chip Davis and Martina McBride: The Joy of Christmas Tour, The Dow Event Center in Saginaw has your holiday concert covered!
Spruce up your gift-giving this season with tickets to a packed lineup of live performances! See the Bay City Players in Cole in Your Stocking and A Tuna Christmas or watch Pit & Balcony Theatre put their own cheerful spin on Elf the Musical.
Want More Ways to Celebrate the Season? Check out our complete Nice List of holiday events! Find More Merry +