Have those skis and snowboards at the ready. Lake effect snow's combining with the efforts of some 150 new high-tech snow guns to get the Boyne resortswww.boyne.com.

Can't get there until dark?
No worries. The resort's added new night skiing/riding terrain and two miles of lighted cross-country trails.

ready for possible opening this Friday, one of the earliest ever. Call before you drive: 800-462-6963 or check the snow gun progress at

Light - in the form of candles, luminaries, and tiny electric bulbs strung on Christmas trees - has long been associated with the holiday season. And little wonder. There's no other time of year in which we're more in need of the reassuring color and glow. Thus, the attraction of some of Michigan festivals centered around light.

Here's a list that includes some of the season's brightest.

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CHICAGO -- Yuletide magic softens the rough edges of the big city as December holiday events transform Chicago into a winter wonderland. Museums, zoos, theaters and stores all get into the act, creating a warm, cozy glow that tempers the freezing weather.

Daley Plaza, in the heart of the Loop, will take on a fairy-tale aura when Christkindlmarket returns for the 13th year. Sip a glass of Gluhwein (hot spiced wine) and sample the German fare -- schnitzel, strudel, bratwurst, potato pancakes -- at this open-air event patterned after the traditional Christmas markets of Germany.

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I have a new best friend for road trips: She has a great sense of direction and never gets rattled if you make a wrong turn or ignore her. She guided me around Indianapolis one Saturday night about 11:30 -- winning a race between her hotel homing instincts and my gas tank, which was running on fumes.

If your favorite traveler is planning to drive into strange territory next year, and you're looking for gift ideas, I would recommend my friend Garmin in a heartbeat: Give or take a little confusion over road construction, she's a GPS system that keeps on giving.

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Iron River's Ski Brule prides itself on annually being the first Michigan ski and snowboarding resort to open in any given year. And in honor of opening week, the resort's offering free lift tickets all day tomorrow (Nov. 14).
Keep tabs on snow conditions at other Michigan ski resorts here.
Or just get into the snow day spirit by checking out a first-ever Michigan.org winter promo spot.

MARSHALL, Mich. -- Embracing its historical heritage, Marshall, Michigan, dons the ambience of a Victorian Christmas with a series of holiday events and activities.

In a city filled with magnificent mansions dating from the mid-1800s to the early-20th century, one of the most intriguing is the fanciful Honolulu House. It was built in 1860 by a former ambassador to Hawaii who missed Polynesian culture and wanted his home to be a wistful reminder of his island days.

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You'll feel the island's history in this cemetery of tidy gravestones marked with American flags. Some 108 people were buried here - soldiers and their families and some of the island's most prominent early officials. Make the trip: http://www.mackinacisland.org/.

PLYMOUTH, Mich. -- Plymouth, Michigan, will host the 27th Plymouth International Ice Sculpture Spectacular, Jan 23-25 in Kellogg Park. The downtown event lures professional ice carvers, chefs, culinary instructors and culinary art students from around the world.

Jennifer Chappell dreads cold, blustery days. But last January, with temperatures in the mid-20s and pockets of snow coating the ground, she and her husband, Mark, and their 2-year-old daughter, Allison, happily bundled up in wintry garb. The Plymouth trio then trekked a few short blocks to check out a magical medley of ice carvings.

"It's a cool family tradition," said Chappell, referring to viewing the Plymouth International Ice Sculpture Spectacular. Chappell, a festival-goer for nearly a decade, said each year she is amazed by the creativity of the ice artists.

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EATON RAPIDS, Mich. -- You'll live like a king -- and learn like the king's chef de cuisine -- when you pair a getaway to the Lansing area's elegant English Inn with a nearby cooking class at Le Chat Gourmet.

The serene elegance of your royal home is established by English Inn's ivy-covered walls, crystal chandeliers, arched leaded-glass windows and a host of royal touches. On the garden level of the Tudor mansion, you'll even find a tiny English pub, where you can sip stout under signs that keep things mannerly with admonitions such as "No Bloody Swearing."

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THOMPSONVILLE, Mich. -- A trio of women skis along a forested and groomed Nordic trail in this northern Michigan locale when out pops a man carrying a tray of homemade chocolate chip cookies during annual the Women's Winter Tour.

"I'm here to serve you," he says, proffering the tray as we all laugh.

It's part of the fun of the Women's Winter Tour, a cross-country skiing event staged for the past 10 years in northern Michigan.

Continue reading "Women's Winter Tour: Charity, chocolate and good nature at Crystal Mountain Resort" »