One of the most magical events we attended last year was Dinner with Santa at Meadow Brook Hall!  The food was fabulous, the girls were given balloon animals and they got the chance to meet Santa.

On December 13, 2010 have dinner with Santa from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Meadow Brook Hall in Rochester Hills, MI.

Call (248) 364-6263 or e-mail stobersk@oakland.edu for more information.

Reservations are required for this event.  $25 Children 12 & Under  |  $30 Adult*

*Tour tickets may be purchased at a discounted rate of $12 per person.

Take a moment to enjoy the season with story time at the Dinosaur Hill Nature Preserve.

December 11th and 12th starting at 11 a.m. the children listen to a nature related story, make a holiday craft, have a treat and talk with Santa. Then there is an optional snowman treasure hunt and a visit to Dinosaur Hill’s Little Log Cabin in the woods.

Advance tickets need to be purchased.

Call 248-656-0999 for more information or visit the Dinosaur Hill Facebook page.

Visit With Santa 2009

We go visit Santa EVERY year at the Village of Rochester Hills since we moved to metro Detroit in 2008.

It is FREE to visit Santa at the Village, he has a REAL beard and the decorations in the Snug in Festival Park are beautiful and perfect for picture taking!

Remember to bring your camera to capture the moment, as photography is not provided.

“We have real-bearded Santa’s in a festive and warm snug who are thrilled to lend an ear to little ones sharing their holiday wish lists,” said Village Marketing Manager, Jessica Presner. “We’re excited that Cornerstone Community Financial has supported our effort to create magical holiday memories for the community,” she said.

“With budgets tight this season, spending $10 or $20 for pictures with Santa might not be possible for some families,” said Cornerstone CEO Heidi Kassab, “CCF wants every family to have the opportunity to make fun holiday memories. We are proud to offer this free event for the entire family.”

Each child that visits with Santa will receive a candy cane and goodies. There’s something in it for parents too, coupons for participating stores will be available throughout the season. Santa will be available for visits at his Snug in Festival Park on:

Saturday – Sunday, December 4 – 5
12pm – 5pm
Saturday – Sunday, December 11 – 12
11am – 5pm
Saturday – Sunday, December 18 – 19
11am – 6pm
Monday – Wednesday, December 20 – 22
11am – 7pm
Thursday, December 23
10am – 7pm
Friday, December 24
10am – 5pm

The Village of Rochester Hills is located at the northeast corner of Walton Blvd. and Adams Rd. Village hours are Monday-Saturday, 10a:00m to 9:00pm and Sunday from noon to 6:00pm.

The Village of Rochester Hills is the place to go to visit Santa!  Santa is darling with a real beard and the kids get a book, candy cane and reindeer antlers.  Best of all, you get to take your own pictures and it’s FREE!

The Village of Rochester Hills is having a contest on their Facebook fan page and here are the details:

Post your picture with Santa at the Village for a chance to WIN a $50 Village Gift Card!

Contest Rules:

How to Enter:

• Post a picture of your visit with Santa at the Village of Rochester Hills on the wall of the Village Fan Page.

Contest rules:

• Limit one entry per person.
• Entries will be accepted until Thursday, December 24, 2009 at 11:59pm.
• The Village of Rochester Hills will select one entry at random to win the prize.
• Winner will be announced on the Facebook Fan Page on Saturday, December 26 before 12:00pm.
• The prize will be available for pick up at the Whole Foods Market customer service desk on or around Saturday, December 26 at 12:00pm.
• Winner must provide a photo ID & signature to collect the prize.
• The prize must be claimed within 30 days (or prize becomes void and remains the property of the Village of Rochester Hills).
• No Purchase Necessary.
• Contest is open to all Village of Rochester Hills Facebook fans.
• All winner and contest decisions are final.

Happy Holidays from the Village of Rochester Hills

Good Luck!

Courtney is the ultimate multitasking mom!  She runs  three blogs Giftfully Simple, The Digital Mommy and Detroit Mommies , is a Social Media Marketing Consultant and has 3 girls under 6 years old.  Courtney is the founder of Detroit Mommies.  You can follow her on Twitter @theappleofmyeye.  She has worked with companies like Johnsons & Johnsons, Dove, e.l.f., Stride Rite, Sorel, 20th Century Fox, The Palace, Melissa & Doug, Panera, Tiny Prints and Ford (to name a few).  Courtney is a Purex^® Insider and a Max Mom for Office Max.

My family and I were invited to have dinner with Santa at Meadow Brook Hall and a magical night it was.

First off, Meadow Brook Hall is located in Rochester and was the home of the Dodge and Wilson families.  Matilda, widow of automobile pioneer John Dodge and her second husband, lumber broker Alfred G. Wilson built the 110 room 88,000-square-foot, Tudor-revival style home.

Much of the home is inspired by English manor houses of the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries that Matilda and Alfred traveled to on their architectural tours of England.

Meadow Brook Hall was completed in 1929 at a cost of nearly $4 million.

Dinner consisted of turkey, mashed potatoes and gravy, cranberry sauce and corn.  Dessert was a piece of chocolate or white iced cake with raspberry glaze.  The wine glasses on the table were filled with grape and apple juice for the children…it was however “their” evening and the special details were fitting.

The real excitement was Santa and the funny balloon making clown that traveled from table to table entertaining the children.  My girls had a great time making this an event we will probably add to our holiday traditions.

After dinner we took a tour of the magnificent home in all it’s splendor.  Each room had an exquisitely decorated Christmas tree and on each tree was hidden a pickle for the children to find.  At the end of the tour, once all of the pickles were found, the children got a prize.  This was a great way to entertain the children during the tour.

We had a wonderful evening as a family that was both special for the children as well as for the adults seeing the excitement in their faces.

I recommend if you are a Rochester resident, a resident of metro Detroit or traveling to the Detroit area, that you visit Meadow Brook Hall and see a huge piece of American history.

Disclosure: My family and I were invited to Meadow Brook Hall for a review.  The opinions expressed in this post are mine and mine alone and are not influenced in any way by anyone.

Courtney is the ultimate multitasking mom!  She runs  three blogs Giftfully Simple, The Digital Mommy and Detroit Mommies , is a Social Media Marketing Consultant and has 3 girls under 6 years old.  Courtney is the founder of Detroit Mommies.  You can follow her on Twitter @theappleofmyeye.  She has worked with companies like Johnsons & Johnsons, Dove, e.l.f., Stride Rite, Sorel, 20th Century Fox, The Palace, Melissa & Doug, Panera, Tiny Prints and Ford (to name a few).  Courtney is a Purex^® Insider and a Max Mom for Office Max.

Tuesday, December 15

Dinner with Santa and Mrs. Claus

Children 11 and under can have dinner with Santa and Mrs. Claus at the Zukey Lake Tavern in Hamburg.  The cost is $3.95 per child and $2 of each meal will be donated to Trail’s Edge Camp for ventilator dependent children.  Adult dinner specials will also be available.  Call 810-231-1441 for more information.

Stacy Swann is a mom of two, wife of one and a freelance writer and blogger living in Brighton.  She worked in the world of Detroit advertising for over 12 years before starting her own Rights Clearance business.  You can contact Stacy at swanngirlz(at)gmail(dot)com and follow her on twitter @swanngirlz.

The Rochester Mills Beer Co. is hosting a Sunday brunch with Santa Sunday, December 20, 2009 at 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 p.m.

Reservations are recommended.

Don’t forget your camera and your Christmas list!

Kids under 6 eat FREE with an adult purchase.

Rochester Mills Beer Co
400 Water St.
Rochester, MI
248-650-5080

Courtney is the ultimate multitasking mom!  She runs  three blogs Giftfully Simple, The Digital Mommy and Detroit Mommies , is a Social Media Marketing Consultant and has 3 girls under 6 years old.  Courtney is the founder of Detroit Mommies.  You can follow her on Twitter @theappleofmyeye.  She has worked with companies like Johnsons & Johnsons, Dove, e.l.f., Stride Rite, Sorel, 20th Century Fox, The Palace, Melissa & Doug, Panera, Tiny Prints and Ford (to name a few).  Courtney is a Purex^® Insider and a Max Mom for Office Max.

Saturday, December 12, 2009 at 4 p.m., The Ann Arbor Symphony Orchestera presents a family friendly show.

$15 for adults, $6 for kids, $35 for a family(limit 6).

United Church of Christ
423 S. Fourth Ave.
734-994-4801

Courtney is the ultimate multitasking mom!  She runs  three blogs Giftfully Simple, The Digital Mommy and Detroit Mommies , is a Social Media Marketing Consultant and has 3 girls under 6 years old.  Courtney is the founder of Detroit Mommies.  You can follow her on Twitter @theappleofmyeye.  She has worked with companies like Johnsons & Johnsons, Dove, e.l.f., Stride Rite, Sorel, 20th Century Fox, The Palace, Melissa & Doug, Panera, Tiny Prints and Ford (to name a few).  Courtney is a Purex^® Insider and a Max Mom for Office Max.

Have breakfast with Santa and get your child’s picture taken with jolly ol’ Saint Nick.

The event will be Saturday, December 12 and it $8.25 for adults and kids and children under 4 are free.  Call 248-391-1900 for times.

Olde World Canterbury Village
2369 Joslyn Court
Lake Orion, MI

Courtney is the ultimate multitasking mom!  She runs  three blogs Giftfully Simple, The Digital Mommy and Detroit Mommies , is a Social Media Marketing Consultant and has 3 girls under 6 years old.  Courtney is the founder of Detroit Mommies.  You can follow her on Twitter @theappleofmyeye.  She has worked with companies like Johnsons & Johnsons, Dove, e.l.f., Stride Rite, Sorel, 20th Century Fox, The Palace, Melissa & Doug, Panera, Tiny Prints and Ford (to name a few).  Courtney is a Purex^® Insider and a Max Mom for Office Max.