SOUTHFIELD — They say that “there’s no place like home for the holidays,” but a stable and affordable home is not within reach for many.

EASTPOINTE — If you made it out to the Holly Dickens Festival or visited the Plymouth Historical Museum earlier this month, perhaps you saw a performance from local singers Simply Dickens.

GROSSE POINTE WOODS — Christmas is always a sacred time for churches, but for one church in Grosse Pointe Woods, this year is extra special.

GROSSE POINTE PARK — For her recent eighth birthday, Makenna Markley, of Grosse Pointe Park, could have asked for toys or trinkets for herself. Instead, the young animal lover asked her friends if they could bring donations for Grosse Pointe Animal Adoption Society or the Michigan Humane Society to her birthday party.

WARREN — The holidays are here, and this is the season for giving.  Organizers said that is what the “Shop with a Hero” and “Shop with a Warthog” events are all about.

WARREN — Visiting the home of Gina and Ron Jenkins during the Christmas season is like taking a trip to the North Pole.

STERLING HEIGHTS — Frank Blowers’ artistic style may often be abstract, but the culmination of his seven decades of artistic work is clear and on display as the Sterling Heights Featured Artist for December and January.

STERLING HEIGHTS — Three new decorative monuments in Sterling Heights are more than the latest examples of Sterling Heights’ rollout of new public art — they are also meant to memorialize three police and fire personnel who died while performing their jobs.

MADISON HEIGHTS — For half a century, the Association of Chinese Americans has looked out for the interests of metro Detroit’s sizable Chinese American population.

MADISON HEIGHTS — A little bit of light dispels a lot of darkness. It’s one of the core concepts of Hanukkah, the Jewish festival that began Dec. 18 and ends the night of Dec. 26.

OAKLAND COUNTY — The Oakland County Parks and Recreation Department is asking residents to make their voices heard and share what they would like to see from their local parks and community activities.

SOUTHFIELD — Optimist Club President Cherryl Thames said there is a real need to start the conversation about mental health. The problem is here, and the time is now.

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — The Grosse Pointe Historical Society now has a beautiful new building at 375 Kercheval Ave. in Grosse Pointe Farms for its offices and archives, but the project wouldn’t have been complete without furniture to go with it.

GROSSE POINTE FARMS — The Grosse Pointe Historical Society has a new home, just in time for the holidays.

BIRMINGHAM — After successfully receiving the National Park Service’s recognition of the Greenwood Cemetery gravesites of Elijah S. Fish and George B. Taylor on the Underground Railroad Network to Freedom, local historians were motivated to continue looking for connections in Oakland County.

BEVERLY HILLS — For decades, Paul and Anne Kleppert have lived in an 1877 Victorian-style home that, until recently, sat behind what they referred to as the “loneliest sidewalk in Beverly Hills.”

METRO DETROIT — Anyone who enjoys Christmas music probably has a favorite yuletide CD or two to play when decking the halls during the holiday season.

ROYAL OAK — After a hiatus for a couple of years, the Royal Oak Jingle & Light Parade will return to the city this month.

ROYAL OAK — The Royal Oak Chabad Jewish Center will be hosting a Hanukkah celebration with the lighting of the menorah.

SHELBY TOWNSHIP — Macomb Ballet Company, a preprofessional nonprofit ballet company located in Shelby Township, kicked off its 40th anniversary this season with five  performances of “The Nutcracker” at the Macomb Center for the Performing Arts this past weekend.