👋 Annalise here, sharing a small, seasonal ode to Detroit through one of its deepest avenues of adoration — music.

Driving the news: Axios Detroit made a holiday playlist on Spotify (apologies, Apple Music users) that you can access here. We did our own research, and used suggestions from readers, for Detroit- and Michigan-related tunes.

State of play: It'll come as no surprise that Detroit legends have produced fantastic Christmas music, from heartfelt ballads to big jazzy numbers; from Motown to Detroit-raised Anita Baker's "Christmas Fantasy" album; from Alice Cooper to a song several of you recommended that I'd never heard, "Christmas Eve on Woodward Avenue."

Zoom out: People have already been listening to Christmas music — "Christmas Hits" became the No. 1 playlist on Spotify in the U.S. in mid-November.

• Some of us, like me, have hesitated to join them too early. Now that December has arrived, it is time.

Here's a selection of the songs we chose:

• "Christmas Eve on Woodward Avenue," Karen Newman
• "White Christmas," The Drifters
• "Someday at Christmas," Stevie Wonder
• "Remember Love on Christmas Day," Thornetta Davis
• "All I Want for Christmas," DeJ Loaf and Kodak Black
• "Christmas Time Will Soon Be Over," Jack White
• "Santa Claus is Coming to Town," The Jackson 5
• "Winter Wonderland," Aretha Franklin
• "Silent Night," The Temptations
• "Sister Winter," Sufjan Stevens

The full list

Thanks to readers Sam L., Eric W., Mary M., Lisa E., Rochelle I., Lorianne A., Violet H. and Lauren P.!

Between the lines: Thanks also to reader Chris B. for flagging three locally produced "Christmas in Detroit" compilation albums released in 1992, 1993 and 2009. They benefitted charity, including through journalist and author Mitch Albom's nonprofit, SAY Detroit, according to Albom's website.

• We couldn't find these songs on Spotify, but we hope there are some locals out there who bought them back in the day and can listen to the tracks, including "Christmas in Detroit" by Funky Daddy and the Detroit Demolition, and "Wandering Shepherd" from local TV news star Devin Scillian, Jeff Daniels and Stewart Francke.

📬 What songs did we miss? Email [email protected] to let us know!

No accounting of Christmas music is complete without Motown Records, the influential, genre-bending Detroit label born with an $800 family loan in 1959.

Why it matters: A Michigan Chronicle writer once called Motown's festive annual concerts — and their Christmas repertoire as a whole, by extension — as integral to Detroit's holiday season as the Thanksgiving parade.

• We still enjoy these classic songs decades later.

Motown prioritized seasonal tracks nearly from its inception. Here are some highlights of Motown holiday history:

• Artists Marvin Gaye, the Miracles and Kim Weston recorded holiday songs in 1962. The first Christmas album, "Christmas with the Miracles," came out in 1963, according to the history website Classic Motown.
• The Supremes' "Merry Christmas" came in 1965, while Stevie Wonder released his first Christmas song collection, "Someday at Christmas," in 1967 — as a teenager. The namesake song of Wonder's album (included in Axios Detroit's holiday playlist) became the label's most-covered Christmas song, according to Classic Motown.

Also, Motown hosted a popular annual holiday concert series at the Fox Theatre featuring top stars, according to Free Press archives. The "Motor Town Revue" in 1966, for example, included the Temptations, Wonder and Martha and the Vandellas, with $2 admission.

The label released "Merry Christmas from Motown" in 1968 with hits from Wonder, Diana Ross and the Supremes and the Jackson 5.

• The Jackson 5 eventually got their own Christmas album, too.
• The Temptations' holiday albums are 1970's "The Temptations' Christmas Card" and 1980's "Give Love at Christmas."

❄️ Snowy conditions contributed to about 150 preventable vehicle crashes and road closures across Metro Detroit in the days following Thanksgiving. (Detroit News)

🚆 Amtrak trains traveling between Chicago and Detroit were halted over the weekend due to mechanical issues and power outages. Alternate bus transportation was made available. (Free Press)

🏈 Weekend football roundup: The Lions signed veteran safety Jamal Adams and others to shore up their defense after suffering more injuries in the Thanksgiving win over the Bears. (Detroit News)

• Pepper spray was used to break up a fight between U of M and Ohio State after the Wolverines' 13-10 upset victory on Saturday. (Free Press)
• Cass Tech beat Hudsonville, 42-20, on Saturday at Ford Field to win its first state championship since 2016. (Detroit News)

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For the turfgrass experts at Michigan State, the stage doesn't get much bigger than this.

The big picture: A team from Michigan State's renowned turfgrass management program has spent about four years developing playing surfaces for the 2026 World Cup in North America, the Detroit News reports.

Catch up quick: FIFA picked 11 cities in the U.S. (Detroit didn't make the cut), two in Canada and three in Mexico to host World Cup games.

• MSU, in partnership with researchers at the University of Tennessee, was selected to provide the World Cup's playing surfaces.
• The challenge is growing turfgrass that can withstand soccer games played in various climates.

Zoom in: The turfgrass Michigan State developed is a mixture of Kentucky bluegrass and perennial ryegrass that can be grown in sand on plastic.

What they're saying: MSU turfgrass research professor John "Trey" Rogers III said the project is a great experience for students.

• Rogers also worked on grass used at the Pontiac Silverdome for the 1994 World Cup.
• "I think all of them will remember this for the rest of their lives. I know that '94 burns in my mind, even every day," he told NPR.