The annual tradition of lighting of the city's Christmas tree this Friday signals the unofficial start to the holidays in St. Clair Shores.

Santa will once again arrive by fire truck to the bandshell in front of City Hall to the joyful sounds of Christmas carols, and help flip the switch to illuminate hundreds of lights strung across municipal buildings at 11 Mile and Jefferson.

'It is a city holiday tradition," said Maureen Antushevich, chairman of the activities committee, which annually hosts the event.

In addition to all the celebrations of the season, many volunteers will working in the coming weeks to make sure the less fortunate in the city will have food in their pantry and presents under the tree for their children.

For 85 years, the St. Clair Shores Goodfellows have had a mission of "No Kiddie Without a Christmas." This Saturday hundreds of volunteers, including city and school officials and many firefighters, will hit the streets to sell newspapers to raise funds to purchase gift cards and food for families in the Shores.

"I am always amazed that it all comes together," said Cathy McCormick, Goodfellows secretary in an email. "All these people volunteer their time – from the people selling our newspapers to the Scouts sorting our food to the firefighters making chili for us. We even have a home-bound volunteer who decorates our plastic money collection containers (bleach bottles and kitty litter containers) with Christmas gift wrap."

Among the events planned for the coming weeks include:

St. Clair Shores Christmas Tree Lightning: A full evening of events are planned for the city's annual tree lighting ceremony at City Hall. Santa's reindeer will arrive at 6 p.m. Friday, and will be available for until 8 p.m. for photos. The program starts at 7 p.m. with entertainment provided by the St. Clair Shores Community Chorus, the St. Germaine Student Chorus, the Lake Shore School Student Chorus and a dance performance by the Turning Pointe School of Performing Arts. Refreshments will be served in City Hall by the Optimists Club. Santa arrives at 7:30 p.m. to light the city's Christmas tree, and then will head over to the Dockside Cafe to hear the wish lists from kiddies. The Selinsky-Green Farmhouse Museum will also be open during the celebration.

St. Clair Shores Goodfellows Paper Sale: The St. Clair Shores Goodfellows will hit the streets from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Saturday to raise funds to purchase food and Kmart gifts for needy families in the Shores.

St. Clair Shores Cultural Committee Holiday Art Mart: Artists from across the city will display their works and will have some available for purchase at the annual event. The Art Mart, at 31396 Harper, will be open noon - 5 p.m. Dec. 3-4, 10-11 and 17-18.

Optimist Club of St. Clair Shores Santa Station: The Selinsky-Green Farmhouse Museum will be the location of the annual Santa Station from 10 a.m. - 3 pm. Saturday, Dec. 10. Santa and Mrs. Claus will greet children as families enjoy a candy cane, hot chocolate, tour the farmhouse and enjoy a petting farm. Drop-in crafts will be available in the library from 10 a.m. - noon and 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. 

Optimist Club of St. Clair Shores Annual Poinsettia Ball: The St. Clair Shores Optimimist Club will hold its annual Poinsettia Ball at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at Blossom Heath Inn. Tickets for the formal dinner dance are $40 per person, or $50 at the door. The evening includes a champagne toast, prime rib dinner, open bar, and music By Elite Entertainment. Organizers will also be accepting unwrapped children's gifts for St. Clair Shores Cops for Kids.