There have long been many an Internet debate as to whether the 1993 stop-motion classic The Nightmare Before Christmas is a Halloween movie or a Christmas movie. Sane people will come to the conclusion that the correct answer is both. Both holidays are featured heavily in the film, and while the Tim Burton aesthetic is very spooky many of the themes skew much more Christmas.
The need to decide which holiday this film belongs to could be attributed to a few things. One reason could be that Halloween and Christmas are so different. While Halloween celebrates everything spooky and macabre, Christmas is generally a very pure holiday season that focuses on love and family. Another reason could be simply because people want to coordinate their watch schedules. Halloween and Christmas are both busy times, and most people have movie favorites they want to be able to watch around the time of the holiday. Not knowing which holiday The Nightmare Before Christmas belongs to, means they might not know when it's appropriate to watch it.
With Halloween taking place at the end of October and December marking the beginning of most people's Christmas celebrations, one place is left as the perfect time to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas: November. It's of course the month between October and December and most people start November off still feeling spooky and in a Halloween mood, but end the month looking forward to Christmas. As this is just like the movie itself when would be a more appropriate time to fully appreciate this film?
Halloween And Christmas Imagery And Themes
The Nightmare Before Christmas begins on the night of Halloween, in the appropriately named Halloween Town. They sing a song called "This Is Halloween" and introduce the main character of the film, Jack Skellington. Jack is the Pumpkin King, essentially the king of Halloween. Jack seems to be dissatisfied and one night while he is wandering in the woods, looking for a higher purpose than just Halloween, he stumbles upon an assortment of doors with some familiar holiday symbols on them. He opens one of them, is thrust into Christmas Town. Jack then falls in love with Christmas and makes a plan to bring Christmas back to Halloween Town.
This entire film is full of both Halloween and Christmas imagery. What's interesting though is the progression of this imagery and how the themes are revealed. In the beginning, there's a strong focus on the creepy aspects of the film. The opening song is scary and emphasizes how scary Halloween Town and its residents are. As the film gets going, things change. The music becomes very whimsical and catchy and Jack is decorating Halloween Town for Christmas, even dressing up as Santa Claus himself. Of course, the characters remain pretty creepy looking, and the main villain of the story is scary, but the strictly Halloween themes sort of disappear by the end.
The themes of the movie skew much more towards a Christmas vibe than a Halloween vibe, despite what the beginning will lead the audiences to believe. Establishing so much creepiness and dark imagery with stereotypical Halloween characters feels shallow by the end. This is because as the plot unravels and things come to light, the themes are much more about the characters finding themselves, finding love, and staying true to who they are. In a way, there are even elements of finding the "true meaning of Christmas" which is seen in so many Christmas movies. This happens when Santa brings snowfall to Halloween Town, as a thank you to Jack for saving him and saving Christmas. Not only does this act make Jack happy and give him what he was always seeking, but it makes the residents of Halloween Town interested in Christmas.
Why November Is The Perfect Month To Watch
Because of the progression of these images and the revelation of the true themes, the truly correct time to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas is November. When thinking about it critically, November has the same kind of progression as the film. In the beginning, most people are still in the mood for Halloween. Halloween candy is still usually in abundance, and scary movies tend to still be on TV. As the month moves on, however, more and more Christmas themes will pop up. Slowly, the public becomes more invested in the holidays and by the end of the month, most are ready to celebrate Christmas.
Of course, there are absolutely no rules when it comes to watching movies. Christmas movies can be watched in June, Halloween movies can be watched on Christmas Day. One of the beauties of cinema is that it's entirely subjective. Different people become attached to different things and therefore develop their own habits and traditions. If one is struggling to figure out when The Nightmare Before Christmas will be the most effective, however, give it a go in early November.