Yearly Archives: 2021

Santa’s New Jersey Roots

While the image of the  jolly old elf we’ve all come to know as Santa Claus may live at the North Pole, the father of this version of Father Christmas once lived right here in New Jersey. The character of … Continue reading →

A Christmas Vacation Engagement

A little bit of that old Christmas magic, courtesy of Weird NJ and the Harbaugh family, the Griswolds of New Jersey… Greetings Weird NJ! I just read your article about the Griswolds of New Jersey. I am happy to say … Continue reading →

Weird NJ Audio Stories

Hey, You Wanna Hear a Weird Story? Weird NJ has taken to the airwaves! We’ve started a series of radio episodes called “Waking Weird” which can be heard broadcast live on WFMU’s Wake & Bake program every Monday at 8:39 … Continue reading →

Peace Pilgrim’s 25,000-Mile Hike for Peace

Since this is Thanksgiving week, we thought we’d share a story about a pilgrim today. No, not one of those puritans with the big buckles on their hats and shoes who came to this land fleeing religious persecution, but a woman from Egg Harbor City whose pilgrimage was made in the name of peace. Continue reading →

Christmas Weirdness in Clifton

One of our favorite Christmas House designers is a Clifton dentist named Dr. Wayne Gangi. Dr. Gangi moved to his Clifton home in 1999. It took him a year to renovate it to make it suitable for an office. Once … Continue reading →

Martel’s Christmas Wonderland

The season is upon us once again when the New Jersey residence that puts Clark Griswold to shame year after year is fully illuminated – The “Hamilton Christmas House” as it is known to the casual passerby, Bob Martel’s House as his friends and neighbors call it, or as it is officially known, Martel’s Christmas Wonderland, is plugged in, powered up, and open each night until about 10 PM. Continue reading →

A Nightmare Before Christmas in Trenton

Three days before Christmas, Jean strangled her 78-year-old mother to death in their home. Standing over Julia Zelinsky’s body, Jean took a kitchen knife and decapitated her. Tossing the head into a plastic shopping bag, Jean got into her car and headed straight for Trenton – but not before stopping to wave to a neighbor. Continue reading →

O Tuckerton Tannenbaum, O Tuckerton Tannenbaum

There’s a desolate five-mile stretch of narrow asphalt known as Great Bay Boulevard located in Tuckerton that leads southeast out of Mystic Island across an expansive salt marsh. But it is here, somewhere along the barren and featureless expanse, that you will find an unlikely symbol of warmth and greeting during the holiday season: A fully decorated Christmas tree. Continue reading →