Manahawkin Salon Featured in "Driving Jersey" Christmas Special

by Patricia A. Miller

The Christmas spirit can be found in many places.

Driving Jersey producer Steve Rogers found that out when he visited the "Just Braggin" hair salon on Bay Avenue in Manahawkin in December 2012 for his latest PBS documentary.

"You can find joy in a place as simple as a hair salon," he said in an interview with Patch today.

Rogers and co-partner Ryan Bott decided to do a yuletide show on how Christmas is celebrated in three sections of the state.

The first two choices were more traditional fare - Christmas at the Historic Allaire in Farmingdale, which showcases the holiday in 1836.

“The dedication to the period and the warmth of the spirit of the people there, made it easy to suspend disbelief and difficult to leave," Rogers said.

The second location is the annual Dickens Village in Medford, which attracts up to 10,000 visitors each year.

“While it is inspired by the time of Dickens, it is more accurately a town-wide celebration of all things Christmas past and present, from the birth of Christ to foot-long pretzels and sausage sandwiches," Rogers said.

"I'm not going to do one that chronicles a day at the mall," he joked.

But he chose a hair salon in Superstorm Sandy-wracked Manahawkin on the day before Christmas Eve in 2012 as his third pick. Rogers' reasons were two-fold - to talk to people  about the holiday and how they were recovering from the storm.

"It's almost more inspirational that the first two," he said.

And he won't forget 90-year-old Louise Lambertson anytime soon. The first floor of her home was destroyed in the storm

"She was of good cheer," Rogers said. "But she talked about how Christmas will be different than before."

Rogers got a little heat from some viewers when his first PBS holiday special premiered three years ago. He wanted to focus on how people going through hard times make it through Christmas, not the "excess" that sometimes comes with the holiday.

"Some folks said, 'Bah, humbug. What a downer,' " Rogers recalled.

Salon owner Rick Bragg suggested Rogers film there since it was busiest time of year and the best time to meet and speak with a large cross-section of the community.

“Walk-ins were welcome,” Rogers said, “but it was standing room only. It seemed to be about as busy as the mall, but with all the easy conversation and without all the madness, it was somehow more inspiring of the meaning of the season and a perfect way for us to conclude this year’s holiday drive.”

The show debuts tonight at 8 p.m. on NJTV and will run through the rest of the month.

"While prosperity hasn’t exactly returned to our state and country yet, particularly in regards to the lingering effects of Hurricane Sandy, we decided to use our work to add to the efforts of restoring joy and hopefulness, which in many ways is what the season is all about, Rogers said.

The series is also available on the web at www.DrivingJersey.com. For more information call 732-779-3092, or e-mail Hello@DrivingJersey.com.