Some of the best Christmas treasures aren’t found in big-box stores… they’re made in garages, barns, and workshops right here in Mid-Michigan.

This season, Reese has a new maker turning heads with simple, rustic pieces that feel like Christmas morning itself: Hawken’s Harvest.

A small, family-run startup with deep Tuscola County roots, Hawken’s Harvest creates handcrafted wooden Christmas trees, each one built from solid lumber, painted in festive colors, and finished with a beautiful bow that gives it its own personality.

They’re the kind of decorations that look good anywhere… by the fireplace, on a front porch, in an entryway, or next to the tree. And they carry that unmistakable charm of something made by hand, not mass-produced.

What makes their pieces special is the balance of clean lines and warm details:

The effect is simple, timeless, and surprisingly elegant. These are décor pieces you unpack year after year… not the kind that go out of style.

Hawken’s Harvest is just getting started, quantities are limited and everything is made in small batches. Most updates, available products, and ordering details are posted on their Facebook page as items are finished.

If you love supporting local makers, especially the ones quietly crafting beautiful things in small Michigan towns, this is a business worth following early.

📍 Reese, Michigan
🌐 Facebook: Hawken’s Harvest

Handmade. Local. Festive.

This Christmas tradition starts with one wooden tree.

Contact Hawken’s Harvest on Facebook →

Shaping the Next Generation of Michigan Makers

This December we’re proud to reminisce and again recognize Mr. Kevin Bidwell, Industrial Technology teacher at Heritage High School in Saginaw Township — an educator whose influence continues to shape Mid-Michigan’s future workforce.

Mr. Bidwell was honored with the Michigan Lottery’s Excellence in Education Award, and it’s easy to see why. Known for his hands-on teaching style and personal attention, he helps students discover confidence, skill, and career paths they never imagined for themselves.

Former students credit him with launching them into engineering, machining, welding, and skilled trades — including young women who say he opened doors they once believed were off-limits. One former student, now a mechanical engineer, wrote:

Whether he’s guiding a freshman through their first project or staying after school to help seniors perfect competition pieces, Mr. Bidwell shows what true dedication looks like. His classroom is a place where persistence is praised, creativity is encouraged, and hard work pays off.

Thank you, Mr. Bidwell, for inspiring the builders, problem-solvers, and innovators who will shape Mid-Michigan for decades to come.

» Read the full story: Saginaw County Educator Wins Excellence in Education Award from the Michigan Lottery

December is a time when many of us look back and wonder if everything we did this year really mattered. The long hours, the kindness we showed, the help we offered—did any of it make a difference?

The Bible says yes, it did.

Last month we read Galatians 6:9, which told us not to grow tired of doing good because a harvest is coming.

This month, Paul takes it a step further. In 1 Corinthians 15, he talks about the Resurrection; the promise that because Jesus rose from the dead, our lives and our work have eternal meaning.

That’s why Paul ends the chapter by saying:

Be steady. Don’t give up. Give yourself fully to the Lord’s work.

Why?

Because nothing you do for Christ is ever wasted.

Christmas reminds us of that too. God changed the world through a Child in a manger and through ordinary people who trusted Him: Mary, Joseph, shepherds, and wise men.

God still works through quiet faithfulness. Even the smallest of deeds done in the name of the Lord causes heaven to rejoice.

As this year ends:

Keep doing good.
Keep loving people.
Keep serving even when it’s hard.

Your labor is not in vain. Your harvest will come.

May this Christmas season remind you that God sees every good thing you do. And angels rejoice because of it.

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This dish is everything December calls for — warm, lightly sweet, beautifully caramelized, and packed with those festive pops of red and green. It’s simple enough for a weeknight, special enough for Christmas dinner, and pairs perfectly with ham, turkey, or a roasted chicken.

This is one of those sides that always earns a spot back on the Christmas menu. The sprouts get crispy, the cranberries add a tart-sweet pop, and the maple-balsamic glaze ties everything together without being overly sweet.

It looks stunning on the table — and tastes even better.

This is one of those Christmas sides that earns a spot on the table every year. It’s simple, seasonal, and has that balance of crispy, sweet, and savory that works with anything from ham to a roast chicken. The cranberries bring a bright pop of color, the pecans add crunch, and the glaze ties it all together without tipping into dessert territory.

SEE ORIGINAL RECIPE →

Brought to you by The Grounded Homestead

Frankenmuth has plenty of cozy eateries and old-world charm, but when you want food with backbone — the kind that’s smoked, sauced, and served with a little attitude — you head straight to Slo’ Bones BBQ Smokehaus on Jefferson Street.

» See their menu

It’s the kind of place where the smoke hits you before the door even closes, where racks of ribs go in early and come out when they’re good and ready, and where everything — from the brisket to the mac and cheese — tastes like someone in the kitchen genuinely cares about doing BBQ the right way.

Slo’ Bones built its reputation on slow smoking and haus-made rubs, turning out meats with bark, bite, and that deep, honest flavor only hardwood can deliver. The ribs stay tender without falling apart, the brisket slices with that perfect smoke ring, and the pulled pork never needs extra sauce — though the house sauces are worth trying on everything.

If you’re coming hungry (and you should), here’s where to start:

And don’t sleep on the sides — the mac, beans, and cornbread complete the whole experience.

On weekends, Slo’ Bones turns up the volume with live music — blues, rock, country, whoever’s playing — giving the place the feel of a road-house-style dinner where the soundtrack is as essential as the seasoning. It’s loud, lively, and downright fun.

Whether you’re thawing out after a cold walk downtown or bringing out-of-towners somewhere unforgettable, Slo’ Bones delivers a kind of BBQ that doesn’t need frills. It just needs a fork… and maybe a few extra napkins.

📍 175 E Jefferson St, Frankenmuth, MI 48734
🌐 slobonessmokehaus.com

At Slo’ Bones, the smoke speaks for itself — and it always says the same thing: “Bring your appetite.”

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Born from frustration. Built with passion.

Michigan golfers know the struggle: when the snow starts falling, the clubs go into hibernation — and so does your short game. That’s exactly the frustration that pushed Flight n’ Bite founder Chase to build something better.

Not another forgettable training aid. Not a toy.

A genuine indoor golf experience built around the one feeling every golfer misses most: pure backspin.

Flight n’ Bite is the first indoor chipping game designed specifically to let you shape shots, control spin, and watch the ball actually bite. It’s addictive in all the right ways — part practice tool, part competition, all Michigan ingenuity.

What started as a winter workaround quickly became something bigger. Chase realized that what he built wasn’t just a way to kill time until spring — it was a way to stay connected to the game all year long. Every shot gives instant feedback. Every round offers that same “I flushed it” satisfaction. And every game keeps your touch alive when the greens outside are frozen.

It’s created for the underserved — the golfers who don’t have year-round range access, simulator memberships, or warm climates. It’s for Michiganders who live and breathe golf even when Lake-effect snow piles up outside.

Whether you’re chasing a new living-room course record, looking for competition on a snowy weekend, or trying to keep your wedge sharp until April, Flight n’ Bite delivers the most authentic indoor chipping experience you can get without stepping foot on a course.

Born from frustration.

Built with passion.

Loved by golfers who refuse to take an off-season.

» Read the FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) about Flight n’ Bite

📍 Designed in Michigan
🌐 flightnbite.com
🎟 Great holiday gift for the golfer who already has everything — except backspin in January.

ORDER NOW →

Father Henri Nouvel’s Winter Journey into Saginaw

Long before cities, parishes, or school buildings rose along the Saginaw River, one solitary voyage helped anchor faith in Mid-Michigan’s story.

In the icy weeks of late November 1675, Jesuit missionary Father Henri Nouvel left St. Ignace and began a nearly month-long winter journey by canoe.

The route was grueling — fog, freezing rain, ice-crusted water — but his destination was clear: the Saginaw region, then home to Native communities and untouched by any European religious presence.

After battling the conditions and navigating the open water of Saginaw Bay, Nouvel reached the mouth of the Saginaw River.

And there, on December 3 — the Feast of St. Francis Xavier — he celebrated the very first Catholic Mass ever recorded in the interior of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

This moment predates Detroit’s founding by more than 26 years and marks one of the earliest documented expressions of Christian worship anywhere inside the Lower Peninsula. Father Nouvel would spend decades serving Indigenous nations throughout New France, traveling between the Odawa, Amikwa, Montagnais, and Saginaw peoples, and eventually leading the Ottawa Missions as superior.

Nearly two centuries after that December Mass, Saginaw opened its first Catholic high school; and in 1952, the Diocese erected a permanent marker on Ojibway Island to honor the site and the significance of the event.

Today, Father Nouvel’s name lives on through Nouvel Catholic Central Schools, but the legacy reaches far beyond a campus. It lives in the story of a missionary who paddled across frozen water to bring faith to a place he had never seen — and in a December morning along the Saginaw River that quietly shaped Mid-Michigan history.

Sources:
Nouvel Catholic Central Schools archives
Henri Nouvel, Dictionary of Canadian Biography / Wikipedia

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