Editor's note: This story has been updated with corrected information about the Saline Holiday Parade and a link to our original story on the parade.

Erik and Karyn Bloch will celebrate their first Christmas as Saline residents this year.

“We’re excited about our first Christmas here,” Karyn Bloch said, while the husband and wife volunteered to help decorate Saline’s community Christmas tree Wednesday night.

The couple and their 4-year-old twins are enjoying their new city. “There’s so many things for families to do here,” she said while hanging hand-made ornaments crafted by Saline students.

First-grade students made birds; while third-grade students made wrapped packages for the city’s official tree.

“It is a wonderful opportunity for our students to participate in the community event,” said Scot Graden, Saline superintendent of schools. “It’s nice for the students to be able to show of their work in public. It is a special time of year and having our students be a part of it is exciting for us and the community.”

Art Trapp, Saline’s downtown development director, said 2010 is the third year the city has had a community tree at Ann Arbor Street and Michigan Avenue. This year’s tree was donated by David and Wendy Kivi of Lodi Township.

Saline will light the tree in a ceremony at 7 p.m. Friday. The city will swing into full holiday mode with its annual parade Saturday

. It begins at 5:30 p.m. at Davenport Street and Michigan Avenue.

Dean Girbach, a new Saline city council member, grabbed a ladder and volunteered to decorate the higher branches.

“I wanted to help support the downtown,” he said, adding that he’d been involved in the Holiday Parade for a long time, going as far back as his high school years when he was a member of the marching band.

Carol Osterling said she got involved because, “'Tis the season to be sharing the Christmas joy and this tree helps remind us.”

Joyce Girgis, a resident of Saline for 34 years, said she was at the tree trimming “because Santa’s coming to town and we have to be ready.”

Girdis said she spent the afternoon helping the elves stuff the “Santa sacks,” and was looking forward to Saturday night’s parade.

By the time the volunteers had trimmed the tree, it was covered with about 400 ornaments.

Lisa Allmendinger is a reporter for AnnArbor.com. She can be reached at Lisaallmendinger@annarbor.com.