Shelby Township is sponsoring the 2024 Shelby Township Christmas Coloring Contest. The winner of this contest will greet Santa Claus on stage at the Christmas Aglow at 6 p.m. on Dec. 6 and present Father Christmas with the key to the township.

The contest is open to Shelby Township residents and Utica Community Schools students in grades kindergarten through second grade. To participate, artists need to decorate the Christmas house and include their name, address and phone number on the back of the coloring sheet. Please limit one entry per person.

Drop off or mail your completed coloring sheet to the Shelby Township Library at 52610 Van Dyke Ave., Shelby Township, MI 48316. Coloring sheets must be received by November 15 at 5 p.m. All entries will be displayed until Jan. 3, 2025.

2024 Shelby Township Christmas Coloring Contest Coloring Sheet

Thanks to the ongoing partnership with the Shelby Township Downtown Development Authority, Shelby Township's biggest Christmas event and tradition, the annual Christmas Aglow and tree lighting, will be brighter than ever this year.

The Aglow takes place at 6 p.m. Dec. 6 on the township municipal campus at 52700 Van Dyke Ave., where the community lights its 34-foot Christmas tree and welcomes Santa Claus as he makes his first stop to greet the township.

After lighting the tree, visitors can head into the library for free photos with Santa Claus until 8:30 p.m.

After seeing Santa in the library, visit the Friends of the Shelby Township Library's popular annual Books by the Bundle Sale. Starting Nov. 25 and running through Dec. 23, or while supplies last. The sale features themed book bundles wrapped in ribbon, bowed and ready for giving at only $8 each. All proceeds from the book bundles support the Shelby Township Library.

In addition to traditional favorites such as a hot chocolate stand, kids crafts at the Kris Kringle Castle, horse-drawn carriage rides, the "Holiday Express" train display and a live reindeer.

The Shelby Township Giving Tree allows the community to spread goodwill. Residents can follow the link here to the giving tree Amazon wish list to purchase items for the Samaritan House food pantry, which operates with 15 churches in Shelby Township and other communities. Wish list items are shipped to Township Hall and are delivered to Samaritan House in January. Residents can also purchase items and place them under the Township Hall Christmas tree at 52700 Van Dyke Ave. The collection begins Nov. 27 and runs through Dec. 21.

Samaritan House can only accept food items that have not expired and have expiration dates printed on them. Any expired items or items without expiration dates are thrown away. Samaritan House will also not accept glass containers, and prefers standard sized items.

2024 Giving Tree List:

• Tissue
• Toilet Paper
• Paper Towel
• Laundry Soap
• Liquid Hand Soap
• Soup
• Coffee
• Crackers
• Jelly (plastic only)
• Condiments
• Salad Dressing
• Pasta
• Pasta Sauce
• Canned Tomatoes
• Canned Beans
• Tea (bags)

Christmas is always a WILD time at the Burgess-Shadbush Nature Center.

Christmas on the Frontier 

Celebrate the holiday in frontier fashion with historically accurate games and activities such as candle-dipping and crafting rustic ornaments. Learn how early European settlers celebrated Christmas by meeting reenactors, visiting our authentic pioneer cabin, and observing family traditions from that era. Father Christmas will visit from 2-4 p.m. Children will have the opportunity to tell Santa their Christmas wishes and pose for photos with a rustic cabin backdrop. The “Too Happy Voyageurs” will play live music and teach traditional dances.

Christmas Bird Count

Join our yearly contribution to the Macomb County Audubon Society’s annual Christmas Bird Count. All skill levels are welcome. The day will include basic information on bird identification and ways to attract and observe winter birds. Participants will gather data while watching the feeders behind the nature center in addition to multiple hikes around the park to observe as many of our winter bird species as possible throughout the day. The nature center has a limited number of binoculars, so please bring yours if you have them.

Winter Solstice Hike & Bonfire

Then, join us as we celebrate the longest and darkest night of the year with our Winter Solstice Hike & Bonfire. We will start the evening by crafting pressed flower lanterns, followed with a luminary lit night hike. Then we will warm ourselves by the fire with hot chocolate and explore solstice lore and traditions from around the world. Recommended for children ages 12 and older.

You can also download and use our Winter Bingo card all winter long. Whenever you go on a nature walk or hike, take this card to see what you can find. If you take pictures, you can tag us on social media with #ShelbyTwpBingo and we may share it on our Facebook page.

What better way to celebrate the season than to give the gift of reading. The Friends of the Shelby Township Library are offering their ever-popular annual Books by the Bundle Sale starting Nov. 20 and running through Dec. 21, or while supplies last. Themed book bundles are beautifully wrapped in ribbon, bowed and ready for affordable gift giving at only $8 each. New bundles are added daily. Hurry in because they sell out quickly! All proceeds from the sale of book bundles directly support the Shelby Township Library.

Visit the library children's area starting Nov. 27 to write a letter to Santa and place it in our special mailbox by 5 p.m. Dec. 9. Our elves will make sure you hear back from Santa by mail. This program is a cooperative effort between the Kiwanis Club of Utica-Shelby Township and the Shelby Township Library. 

Enjoy a yummy Breakfast with Santa at 10 a.m. Dec. 7 while giving your little ones a chance to visit with jolly old St. Nick without waiting in line at the mall.

Event includes a small gift from Santa and a holiday craft. High chairs and booster seats are unavailable, and we do not sell tickets at the door.

$12/seat for residents, $17 for nonresidents

Register online (#SANTAB.01)

Join the excitement with jolly ole Santa Claus for a Dinner & Dancing with Santa from 6-8:30 p.m. Dec. 12 at Cherry Creek Golf Club (52000 Cherry Creek Dr.).Doors open at 6 p.m. Dinner will be served at 6:30 p.m.

After dinner, dance to festive DJ music and visit with Santa Claus. Children will receive a delightful gift from Santa as well.  Don't forget your camera, as there will be plenty of perfect holiday photo opportunities.

No tickets will be sold at the door. Call 586-731-0300 for reservations or register online by Nov. 24, or before event is sold out. No refunds two weeks before event. A $7 processing fee will apply to all refunds.

Shelby Township seeks the finest holiday lights display from the community. Please send a maximum of four well-lit pictures of your fully illuminated home to madams@shelbytwp.org by Dec. 13 to participate. We will showcase the submissions on here and on facebook.com/shelbytwpparksandrec Dec. 15-20.

On Dec. 21, the Parks, Recreation, and Maintenance Department staff will announce
the first- and second-place winners on the Shelby TV Christmas Lights Show at youtube.com/shelbytownshiptv. Please note that only residential homes are eligible, and businesses are excluded from this competition.