ASBURY PARK — Ugly is in the eye of the beholder.
So behold an abundance of ugly in the form of garish Christmas sweaters that their owners hoped would turn people’s stomachs – or at least give them a laugh – at the start of the holiday season.
Asbury Park on Saturday night kicked off its Christmas festivities with a tree lighting and ugly sweater party in the Grand Arcade that attracted hundreds to a city that has been trying to make a comeback for decades.
City board of education member Barbara Lesinski said last year’s tree lighting and ugly sweater events, though just as cheery, attracted far fewer people. This year’s crowd of several hundred was a sign people are starting to notice the city, she said.
“It signals that people feel safer here and it’s becoming more popular, which is nice,” Lesinski said.
Jim Hunter of Neptune said he decided not to compete for an ugly sweater title this year because he lost the competitions the past three years. But that didn’t stop a friend from buying him a blue ribbon he proudly wore on his reindeer sweater.
Before the ugly sweater party, the city held the first of its Christmas tree lightings as Santa Claus, perched on a green throne, made a special appearance by bicycle for the kids.
Members of The Premier Theatre Company, which is putting on performances of “Scrooge” beginning next weekend at the Paramount Theatre, sang Christmas carols while dressed in their costumes.
Kathi Freeman of Hazlet brought with her a scar-faced horror doll that usually accompanies her in Asbury Park’s annual Zombie Walk, a tremendously popular event in the city. But rather than wearing scary clothes, Vincent Price – as the doll is known – was decked out in a red zip-down Christmas sweater.
Freeman’s friend Beth Bernardo of Spring Lake Heights, a volunteer with Zombie Walk, said she put into her Christmas outfit – an assaultive splatter of lights and ornaments dangling from her sweater and pants – the same level of enthusiasm she injects into her Halloween costume.
“It’s just something fun and different,” Bernardo said. “But that’s Asbury.”
MaryAnn Spoto may be reached at mspoto@njadvancemedia.com. Follow her on Twitter @MaryAnnSpoto. Find NJ.com on Facebook.