(This story was first published Dec. 24, 2017) Was George Bailey really a Jersey guy? Though you won’t see many clues when “It’s a Wonderful Life” gets its traditional airing on NBC this Christmas Eve, the beloved holiday movie has deep New Jersey roots. The classic film got its unlikely start as a humble Christmas cardsent by a Rutgers University graduate. And its fictional Bedford Falls setting was actually inspired by a small town in Hunterdon County with an iron bridge that became a focal point of the movie. Philip Van Doren Stern, a history writer who grew up in Jersey City, woke up one m…