After you've braved the cold to choose the Christmas tree of your dreams, warm up in one of NJ's festive holiday pop-up bars. (Since hours and availability vary by day and depending on weather, we recommend calling farms before visiting.) NORTH JERSEY Giamarese Farm • East Brunswick Through Sunday, December 24: Enjoy a free bag of pick-your-own apples with the purchase of your tree, while supplies last. Arrive to the farm one hour before closing time. 155 Fresh Ponds Road • 732-821-9494 Hidden Pond Tree Farm • Mendham Through Saturday, December 23: To fuel up for your tree hunt, toa ..read more

[caption id="attachment_323468" width="778"]Hoboken-based Kelly Benoit, who works in corporate social responsibility, wrote her debut novel, …with a splash of Kay, earlier this year. Photo: Courtesy of Mario Penso[/caption] From the outside, New York City's hustle culture an alluring world. But when Kelly Benoit landed an internship at a top organization nearly a decade ago, she discovered that the gig barely covered her monthly rent. She felt like an outsider among her colleagues—well-paid executives who bought expensive lunches and went out for drinks daily while she, on the other hand, was ..read more

[caption id="attachment_323500" width="778"]Molli Dowd’s fanciful gingerbread houses include this mansion modeled on the one from Netflix’s Bridgerton. Photo: John Bessler[/caption] Growing up in Tucson, Arizona, Molli Dowd’s favorite holiday tradition was making a gingerbread house. But hers were no ordinary gingerbread houses.  A lover of architecture even as a young girl, she would search for a different home to replicate every year. Her mother, an accomplished baker, and her dad, a builder, provided guidance and inspiration.  Naturally, she continued the family tradition when ra ..read more

LUXE LOOK: Freshen your wardrobe with a Rebekah knit top, $298, and Palazzo pant in Monet print, $368 at francesvalentine.com.   LIP SERVICE: Olivia Palermo lipstick offers rich color and matte finish; $38 at anthropologie.com.   BABY BLUE: The petite Lawrence handbag is crafted of Italian leather with a signature bow; $495 at J. McLaughlin in Morristown and jmclaughlin.com.   BUCKLE UP: The Linley suede mule adds polish to jeans-and-tee looks; $395 at veronicabeard.com. EYE CANDY: Sleek Quay sunglasses sport polarized gradient lenses and 100 percent UV protection; $75 at nords ..read more

IT'S A SETUP! Amp up your tablescape with this charmingly detailed dinnerware; setting is individually priced starting from $9.99 at hm.com.   SPICE IT UP: Petite mosaic tiles lend an NYC subway vibe to these fanciful salt and pepper shakers; $32 at anthropologie.com.   BLUE-PLATE SPECIAL: Classic blue-and-white dishware with eclectic patterns strikes a traditional-meets-modern tone; from $50/set of four at ballarddesigns.com. PUT ME ON A PEDESTAL: Serve anything from soup to nuts in the whimsical Chroma ceramic bowl; $195 at jonathanadler.com. HAPPY HUES: Just like a favorite wardr ..read more

The Diabetes Foundation of NJ believes that no one should go through their journey alone. Since 1990, the foundation has provided free and affordable access to tools and resources to help people manage diabetes—during this November’s National Diabetes Month and all year long. Today, 1 in 10 people are living with diabetes. To offset that number and help people manage their symptoms earlier, the foundation encourages diabetes screenings. [caption id="attachment_323434" width="300"]Ginine Celenti is the executive director of the NJ Diabetes Foundation. Photo: Courtesy of the Diabetes Foundation ..read more

A Garden State eatery is in the national spotlight this week. Esquire just released its hotly anticipated list of the 50 best new restaurants in America of 2023, and heaped a hearty helping of praise upon Lita in Aberdeen Township. Lita, a modern, Iberian-inspired restaurant, opened this spring. It is the third restaurant under founder Neilly Robinson and chef David Viana—whose Heirloom Kitchen, a restaurant and cooking school in Old Bridge, made NJM's list of best restaurants in 2022, and whose Heirloom at the St. Laurent in Asbury Park made NJM's list of best restaurants in 2023. The duo's ..read more

Openings NAYA, Montvale This New York-based, fast-casual Lebanese chain has opened a second New Jersey location, after making its Jersey debut in Paramus earlier this year. The menu includes rolls, bowls and salads—all customizable with grains, greens, meat and plant-based proteins, veggies, and dips like hummus, lemon tahini and Toum garlic whip. Keep an eye out for a Jersey City location coming soon. 330 Market Street; 551-788-1100 Wonder, Springfield  Just two weeks after setting up shop in Hoboken, Wonder celebrated the grand opening of its Springfield location. Customers can order ..read more

[caption id="attachment_323242" width="778"]Photographer Kimberly Witham became fascinated by the beauty of animals through taxidermy. Photo: Courtesy of ©Kimberly Witham[/caption] When photographer Kimberly Witham moved with her family from New York City to rural Hunterdon County more than a decade ago, she started seeing roadkill on the country roads she drove on from New Jersey to Bucks County Community College in Pennsylvania, where she taught. A lot of roadkill. Soon, the artist in her began to look at the dead animals differently—there was a certain beauty to them. “I was like, What is ..read more

[caption id="attachment_323298" width="778"]"Jersey Shore" star Mike "The Situation" Sorrentino gets candid about everything from his drug abuse to stint in prison to wild sex parties. Photo: Courtesy of Anthony Serrantonio[/caption] When most people hear the name Mike “The Situation” Sorrentino, they likely think about his famously chiseled abs or those infamous nights at sweaty Shore nightclubs alongside pals Snooki, Pauly D and JWoww. Or fans might find themselves repeating the crew’s ever-present catchphrase, “Gym. Tan. Laundry.” Those glory days of MTV’s Jersey Shore, which premiered in ..read more