Let's face it, the holidays are not always filled with peace, love and happiness. In fact, for some people, they can be downright stressful. I'm one of the later people. Every year as December rolls around, I start to cringe. See, in my family, not only do we celebrate Christmas, but we happen to celebrate six birthdays too: mine, my husband's, my brother's, two of my sisters in law and my grandfather's. So in addition to all the Christmas gifts I get to buy, I also have to come up with birthday gifts. Not to mention the incredibly nice Happy Birthday message from the State of Michigan …

Another year has flown by and Brighton Patch is celebrating its second birthday since the site was launched in 2010. It's been more than a year since I moved to Brighton and became its second editor and it's hard to believe how much Brighton Patch has grown in that time. Some of my greatest moments in 2012 were covering stories like the Howell Balloon Festival from the air and the on the track at the Brighton Roller Dollz Christmas bout. But most of all, I've enjoyed getting to know so many wonderful and supportive people in the Brighton community. Last year, we highlighted all the great …

I can't tell you how many times I've overheard someone talk negatively about police officers and other law enforcement officials. All too often, I believe, the police are painted as the bad guys, writing tickets and making arrests. But they're also the first people you call when you need help. I bring this up now because May 13-19 is National Police Week. Police Week began in 1962 when President John F. Kennedy signed a proclamation declaring May 15 as Peace Officers Memorial Day and the corresponding week as Police Week. This resonates with me because I grew up with a police officer - my dad…

Brighton Patch had the honor of hosting a Business Spotlight luncheon at the Greater Brighton Area Chamber of Commerce Monday afternoon. We are happy to say, we had a great turnout. More than 20 people enjoyed lunch on us, and had the opportunity to learn more about how Patch can help their businesses. Brighton Patch is meant to provide readers with news as well as a platform to share information with the community. There are many ways to interact, such as commenting on articles, sharing photos, posting event information and much more. If you couldn't make it to our presentation Monday, here …

It's funny sometimes how quickly a year can fly by. On this day last year, Brighton Patch went live to the world. Since then, we've covered Brighton schools, city and township government, downtown events and businesses and more! We're looking to be even better this next year - and we want your help. Got a story idea? Or photos from an event we couldn't make it to? Email them to nicole.krawcke@patch.com. Or upload your photos into our new Neighborhood Gallery. Have an opinion about something happening in the community? Or just have something to say? Become one of our bloggers. While I haven't …

The last two weeks of my life have been filled with excitement and anticipation after learning that I would become the new Brighton Patch editor. As a Michigan State University graduate, Brighton was always a place to stop to watch a movie or do some shopping while on the way to or from school. As the new editor, I'm looking forward to getting to know Brighton better. I will be attending City Council, Township Trustee and Brighton Area School Board meetings. I will also be visiting local businesses and talking to owners and residents.  I am also apartment hunting in the area. Any suggestions …

As the fill-in editor of Brighton Patch since early June, I've had a blast coordinating coverage of everything from the Fourth of July parade to summer festivals and more. Together with a great team of freelancers and a summer intern who covered news like a pro, we tried to keep the quality of news coverage as high as it would have been with a full-time permanent editor. But now, as summer fades and our coverage turns to fall topics such as back-to-school, we are excited to introduce you to the brand new permanent editor of Brighton Patch -- Nicole Krawcke. Nicole has been a freelance …

We're excited to inaugurate a new series for our Patch readers: "Dispatches: The Changing American Dream." Every day, the national media is full of stories about how American families, businesses and neighbors are adjusting to these trying times. There are so many changes happening so fast that it's dizzying: national debates about unemployment, foreclosures, debt, religion, government and private enterprise all touch on fundamental ways in which we see ourselves and our communities. At Patch, we want to explore that conversation on a daily basis so we can better understand how our neighbors …

Today is my last day as editor of Brighton Patch. It was with much thought and discussion with my family that I have decided to focus full-time on my freelance writing career. As I prepare to pass my laptop and iPhone on to the next editor (yet to be determined), I take credit for helping to bring Patch to town. I couldn’t have asked for a better way to get to know my new hometown. I moved to the area in December of 2009, and through this editorship have been given license to explore all that Brighton has to offer, from its ski slopes, lakes and hiking trails, to its trendy restaurants and …

I am only two degrees of separation away from Friday's fairy-tale bride Catherine Middleton. A few years ago, my husband and I met royal wedding hat designer Philip Treacy when he attended the opening of his exhibit "When Philip Met Isabella" at Cranbrook Academy of Arts. I love fashion and celebrity, and since I'm practically BFFs with Kate, of course I've been caught up in the excitement of Friday's royal wedding between her and Prince William. Brighton, MI, is a long way from Brighton, U.K. (which is still an hour and a half from Westminster Abbey in London, where the wedding took place), …

In my other life, outside of Brighton Patch, I am bassist for the Mydols. We're a band of moms, with 13 children altogether, and we're part of the "kindie rock" scene, a genre of music that strives to appeal to children and their hipster parents at the same time. Here in Metro Detroit, we've done gigs with fellow kindie rockers the Candy Band, Mr. Seley and the Troublemakers and the Swingset Mamas. East Lansing-based The Verve Pipe, known for its '90s hit "The Freshman," recently released its first family album and performed this month at the Brighton Center for the Performing Arts. At 2 p.m…

In Michigan, maple syrup is the first agricultural crop of the season. Kensington Metropark invites the public to glimpse early spring’s harvest during Maple’s Sweet Story, noon-3 p.m. every weekend in March. During the week, area schoolchildren take field trips to the park's Farm Center to get a lesson in good old-fashioned maple syrup making. I had the pleasure of accompanying my son Verick’s field trip from Hawkins Elementary School on Wednesday. The weather was warm, perfect to get that sap flowing. Farmer Matthew Blakeley greeted Lisa Wheeler’s afternoon kindergartners and got them …

Am I the only parent who wonders if my children are truly safe in the car? With all those straps and awkward buckles, it's hard to know if I've got my 2-year-old daughter's baby seat right. And my 5-year-old son is a big guy, but is he tall enough for a booster seat and shoulder belt? This Valentine's Day, police will share answers to car seat questions like mine. The Michigan State Police-Brighton Post will host a child seat installation and inspection event on Monday, Feb. 14. According to Sgt. Mark Thompson, police have a limited number of infant and booster seats to give for free to …

I'm a roller derby queen at heart, so I was stoked to discover Brighton has its own team. I couldn't wait to find out more, not because I want to skate into the ring with them — the last thing I need is a broken bone. No, I'm just a fan. My husband and I have cheered on many bouts in Detroit, and my band, the Mydols, have performed our song "Roller Derby Queen" at bouts in Michigan and Minnesota. I was thrilled to find the Brighton Roller Dollz in my new hometown. I gathered from calling Rollerama II that the Dollz practice there twice a week, but beyond that the club has been shrouded in a …

Want headlines from Brighton Patch delivered directly to your blog or Web site? Now, you can stream all the Brighton news — or just certain categories — directly there for you and your visitors. It was one several changes made to the Brighton Patch site this past week that also includes free classified ads and a news feed from nearby Patch sites. With a new widget feature, you can create a box that's easily insertable into blogs and Web pages. It's also customizable by topic, so if you just want sports, you can limit to sports or if you just want police and fire news, you get police and fire …

For my son, half-day kindergarten at Hawkins Elementary School is perfect. In fact, it can be perfectly exhausting. Verick, 5, didn't attend formal preschool, so for him, learning the structure and discipline of being in class all afternoon is more than enough of a challenge. But many local parents want their kindergartners in school all day, and the district is responding. Brighton Area Schools Superintendent Greg Gray is working diligently to launch a tuition-based all-day kindergarten option this fall. Half-day kindergarten, junior kindergarten and at-risk kindergarten will also be offered…

It's hard for me to claim the mantle "foodie." First of all, I'm not quite sure what it means, and I think I might be disqualified for the simple fact that I eat peanut butter toast for breakfast every single day, and leftovers many nights. Yet, on the other hand, going out to eat is one of the simple pleasures I never tire of, and restaurant reviews are my favorite of all assignments. So I was pleasantly surprised, upon moving to Brighton last December, to find so many great restaurants in this town. In fact, my husband and I made our first connection to Brighton through a local restaurant. …

Christmas is over. The presents are put away (almost), and if you're like me, you were ready to take the tree down, like, yesterday. We got our real fir this year at Grasshopper Gardens on Maltby Road and it is beautiful. Still, I'm tired of crawling under the branches to water it, unleashing a cascade of pine needles each time. I'm also sick of clogging the vacuum with the tinsel trailing all over the carpet. Plus, I want to reclaim that corner of my living room, especially so my husband can get back there to hang up the drapes Santa bought me at JCP! The good news is, trash pickup will not …

Welcome to Brighton Patch. We're new in town, but you'll be seeing a lot of us from here on out. We plan to cover everything going on in this patch of land we call home – and a beautiful patch it is. Brighton is known for its ski resort, beautiful parks, rural landscapes and abundance of lakes. But Brighton is also cosmopolitan, full of destination businesses, wonderful cultural organizations, and a diverse group of residents who do all sorts of interesting things. Our freeways connect us to Ann Arbor, Lansing, Detroit and beyond. We are at the crossroads of rural and suburban living; city …