The Christmas season of selfless-giving and caring began earlier for some this year.

Participants in Isabella County’s Christmas Outreach Program started their Christmas giving Tuesday.

The program involving Toys for Tots — the collection of toys and other items for underprivileged families — began more than 20 years ago with members of Immanuel [...]

With all the hype surrounding Christmas, some people say the holiday is less about tradition and family and more about commerce.

“By 10 p.m. on Halloween, the Christmas stuff is out on the shelves already,” said Jesi Hartman, Alpena junior. “Thanksgiving just gets overlooked.”

Tradition has made the biggest shopping day of the [...]

Greg Burghardt
College students find themselves faced with all kinds of gift-giving dilemmas as the holiday season approaches.

Some say they try to stick to a budget, while others say they employ the “buy now, think later” strategy.

Lansing sophomore Katie Bien said she spends the same amount of money on presents each year. Bien worked last winter [...]

Greg Burghardt
Eating and drinking in moderation are the keys to keeping off extra weight this holiday season.

“Keep your body hydrated by drinking plenty of water,” said Commerce Twp. senior Jen Maida, who is majoring in dietetics.

She said there are three steps people can follow to help keep off unwanted weight.

[...]

Though there are many ways to celebrate holidays, the common thread is family.

Many students said they get together with their extended family for Thanksgiving and Christmas.

Most said they eat a big meal together and catch up.

“I go home (for Thanksgiving) and we make lots of food,” said Hillary Zyber, [...]

Greg Burghardt
A natural Christmas tree adds more that just aroma to a living room for most people.

The most popular Christmas tree is a blue spruce, and the trees grow both green and blue and have branches firm enough to hold holiday ornaments, said Ken Schaeffer, owner of Schaeffer’s Christmas Tree Farm and Nursery, [...]

Many nonprofit organizations around the state rely on student volunteers to succeed in holiday collection drives.

Some students will spend their time during this holiday season outside in the cold, next to a collection pot. Others will cook for hours and not eat any of the food, while others still will walk dogs who [...]

Greg Burghardt
’Tis the season to go shopping.

Online shopping will not take people away from the stores, but is an option for holiday shopping, said some CMU students.

“I think there is a variance in the population. I think there are some people that want to do it and those who don’t,” said [...]