Why You Can Still Watch 'The Nightmare Before Christmas'

No, you don't need to check your calendar. Yes, I know it's November, and Halloween has indeed passed. But that doesn't mean one of my most beloved films has to languish on my bookshelf with Hocus Pocus and It's the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown for a whole 'nother year. On the contrary, I put forth that The Nightmare Before Christmas can indeed be watched all the way through to, well, Christmas.

First of all, ChristmasTown is absolutely gorgeous. This was one of my first images of what Santa's North Pole might look like and it's my favorite. There's no contest. It's bright, colorful, and charming without being gaudy or sickeningly sweet. Jack's "What's This?" song is my go-to jam for most of the holiday season, and the song my brother and I quote most often. It's always so endearing how Jack interprets everything and then attempts to translate it to his own townspeople; the misunderstanding of Sandy Claws is the most adorable, naive interpretation I have ever heard. And I would love to know how Jack discovered all the information he did. As a skeleton, I'm sure it would be difficult to just go up to an elf and start asking questions. Burton and Selick, if you're reading, any answers? The public needs to know.

This is the part where I try to argue that, because there's a turkey door, The Nightmare Before Christmas can even be watched for Thanksgiving. I'm aware it's a shallow argument, but look at the door. It's a legitimate holiday town. Who wouldn't love to see what Burton or Selick's vision of "ThanksgivingTown" is like? People walking around with pet turkeys? Actual turkeys just hanging out and they choose one to sacrifice to an almighty sky god? Again, Burton and Selick, I need to know. Your fans need to know.

In case I wasn't clear earlier, the production design for ChristmasTown is breath-taking. The snow sparkles, reflects the light of the Christmas lights, and moves so well with the stop-motion animation. The elf culture is fairly thorough, too: hockey, snowmen, putting trees up only near Christmas, roasting chestnuts, mistletoe, and the conveyor belt system of creating toys. In the little time the audience actually sees ChristmasTown at work, we get a full understanding of this particular vision of the North Pole. And it's fantastic.

The "What's This?" reprise is adorable, and features incredible combinations of winter sport and Halloween cheer. Most iconic is the vampire trio playing hockey with a jack-o-lantern pumpkin. When the film was re-released in 3D a couple of years back, the scene was amended so it appeared that the jack-o-lantern had burst out of the screen and into the audience's faces. Each activity featured in the reprise captures the immense joy of the Christmas spirit, right down to Lock, Shock, and Barrel firing snowballs at Jack's head. Every movement in the snow, and of the snow, is just incredibly mesmerizing. I wish real snow was this beautiful. Check out the iconic "What's This?" below:

Stay tuned for a brand new Film of the Week series, a movie adventure, and more. Remember to check out our new poll and vote for your favorite Peanuts character!

Do you watch The Nightmare Before Christmas after Halloween ends?