Hello 08108! I cannot believe the holiday season is here. It’s like we snapped our fin- gers and WHAM! But I have to say, I just love this time of year! All the festivities, the family time, the food, and warm holiday spirit make me smile. And as always, we are excited for you to check out our Holiday edition magazine dedicated to the lifestyle and community of Collingswood.
We start our issue catching the wind with Jon Burnham. His love of sailing began at a young age. He started competing in sailing when he was 10 years old. His J/29 Defiant, with a crew of seven including his wife Tori and son Chaz, recently championed the PHRF class to win the Philadelphia Cup during the 2025 Philadelphia Cup Regatta. Catch the wind on page 5.
Next we have a Q&A with Chef MJ, a pow- erhouse and multi-talented chef who specializes in personal chef services for dinner parties, cre- ates customizable meal prep solutions, offers upscale catering services for wedding and cor- porate events, and does nutritional coaching to meet client’s individualized goals. She also offers virtual cooking instructions. Chef MJ truly does it all. Find out how on page 8.
Midway we learn all about how Sensory San- ta has become a successful community event. The event was born out of collaboration in 2020 – partnering with Upcycle, Eat Play Learn, Mo- tivated Kids, and SLK Community Consulting, in tandem with the borough of Collingswood. Now celebrating its fifth year, Sensory Santa has grown from 45 families in 2020 to an expected 75 families this December. Follow Sensory San- ta for all on page 13.
We round out our issue at Common Grounds: “Somewhere you want to stay a while,” says Josh Evans, who owns the coffee shop with Chris Donnelly. “We want everyone who walks into Common Grounds to feel instantly wel- come,” Evans said of the customer experience, “whether it’s your first visit or your hundredth, we want you to feel like a regular.” Come stay a while on page 17.
Check out our Expert Contributor piece “Homes are Sitting … Is the Market Going to Crash? on page 20 and Remodeling Redefined: Inside the Design-Build Difference” on page 22. Thumb through Keeping up with Collingswood for future community events on page 26 and find out what our neighbors have to say – What is your favorite holiday tradition? on page 2. All of this and more awaits on the pages ahead!
Enjoy!
