Dreaming of Jersey Shore Vacations and Getting a Head Start on Music Monday with Tom Waits and Bruce Springsteen

"I got no time for the corner boys, down in the street makin' all that noise,
Don't want no whores on Eighth Avenue, cause tonight I'm gonna be with you.

Cause tonight I'm gonna take that ride, across the river to the Jersey side,
Take my baby to the carnival, and Ill take you on all the rides,
sing sha la la la la la sha la la la.

Down the shore everything's alright, you and your baby on a Saturday night,
Don't you know that all my dreams come true, when I'm walkin down the street
With you, sing sha la la la la la sha la la la.

You know she thrills me with all her charms, when I'm wrapped up in my baby's arms
My little angel gives me everything, I know someday that she'll wear my ring.

So don't bother me cause I got no time, I'm on my way to see that girl of mine
Nothin' else matters in this whole wide world, when you're in love with
A Jersey girl, sing sha la la la la la la."

-- "Jersey Girl" by Tom Waits, with perhaps the most famous cover version by Bruce Springsteen. One of Roxy and Rex's two wedding songs (the other one was, of course, "Prove It All Night" by Bruce Springsteen).

As a Jersey Girl, that song is an anthem that always brings tears to my eyes and sends chills down my spine. Today I don't need a reason to get the chills, since as they say in New England, it has been WICKED cold here all day in the Roxiticus Valley... while London and her Brownie Girl Scout troop were singing Christmas carols in front of the Mendham, New Jersey Kings supermarket, and while we walked the streets of Chester and Mendham and Bernardsville to get a start on our holiday shopping. I can only imagine that our Bay Head beach house is shivering in the cold.

While some might find it odd to be thinking about the beach when it is well below freezing and due to stay that way for at least the next three months, the wind is whipping down the Boardwalk, and Santa's sleigh is slipping off of the icy rooftops, what better time is there to reminisce about last summer's good times at the Jersey Shore and to plan our next Jersey Shore beach vacation? It warms me up just to look at photos of London and Maddie selling seashells down by the seashore or riding the rollercoaster with their Jersey Girl friends at the Boardwalk.

While I'm not brave enough to head down to the beach in this weather, I can shop online for the perfect Jersey Girl holiday gifts at the annual holiday sale going on at Morey’s Piers in Wildwood. Morey's Piers is known for their amusement park rides and many other boardwalk attractions. From December 1st through January 9th, we can all save almost 40% on a season pass to both of the Morey's Piers waterparks. Come to visit your favorite Jersey Girl from afar, or plan out your Jersey Shore "staycation" close to home by using the Morey's Piers website to find the Wildwood, NJ hotel or motel that suits your family this summer. It may be cold outside, but it won't be long before the Boardwalk beckons!