The Nightmare Before Christmas: Seasonality, Calendars, and Holidays

 I’m not one to question what motivates, inspires, or prods an artist to create art.  Every painting, sculpture, song, or movie has a story all its own.  But sometimes if you do a little digging and investigating, you can find the source of inspiration.  Maybe you don’t have all of the puzzle pieces, but at least you have the one piece that gives you a glimpse into the mind of the artist.  

And what, exactly, is that puzzle piece?  According to Burton, “Anytime there was Christmas or Halloween, it was great.  It gave you some sort of texture all of a sudden that wasn’t there before” (Blaise Simpson, October 1993).  Seasons…Calendars…holidays.  Therein is the puzzle piece, the inspiration, the spark of the creative flame that flickered for this stop-action, painstakingly slow and meticulous creation of cinematic art.  109,440 individual frames created over 3 years by a crew of over 120 workers under the direction of Henry Selick (and of course, the watchful eye of the artist himself, Tim Burton).  

And what does this artistic creation say to us, those who drink it in with our eyes and ears on the big screen?  We are a people attuned to a calendar.  12 months, 365 days, neatly organized and categorized by the monthly markers of holiday events and celebrations.  When Jack Skellington stumbles into the grove of marked doors we see:  a heart, a clover, a turkey, a Jack-o-lantern, and the Christmas tree.  These “doors” represent the societal celebrations that move us along the journey of the calendar.  Jack’s world was dictated by one door - one celebration:  Halloween.  When Halloween ends the next day he is confronted with the reminder:  364 days to Halloween!  But there must be more…there needs to be more…there has has to be MORE!

And so in movie making magic Jack Skellington, the Pumpkin King, want to take over Christmas!  In a very real way the creep and crawl of holidays has taken on a Jack Skellington quality in our world today.  We no sooner get beyond Valentine’s Day and the stores are littered with Shamrocks and a touch of the Irish; and before a glass of green beer can be consumed, bunnies, candy, and egg dye has taken over.  Maybe the most combative and hostile societal struggle is from August to November - Halloween, Thanksgiving, and big boy consumer maelstrom, Christmas all vie for our attention!   Recently I was in a store at the end of September and was bombarded by….Christmas trees, lawn decorations, lights, and ornaments!  Where was the Halloween decorations?  Where had the ghosts, goblins, and ghouls gone?  Certainly Jack Skellington would be disappointed in a such a moment!

Truth be told, we need to stop rushing the calendar and all of its holidays and seasons.  As a people, we need the rhythm of changes to anchor, mark, and assist us on the journey.  We need things to look forward to as well as things that cause us to pause, celebrate, reflect, and remember.  Within the confines of the Christian Church the liturgical calendar has served such a purpose for centuries.  The liturgical calendar helps us focus on and anticipate the works of God in our lives.  Just consider the ebb and flow:  Advent leads to Christmas that points to Epiphany that culminates at the Transfiguration.  Ash Wednesday moves us into Lent which prepares us for Holy Week.  Easter becomes the grand resurrection celebration of Jesus over the grave that directs us towards the ascension and Pentecost.  And then the long and carefully crafted time of the church begins until we arrive back at Advent.

Jack Skellington wanted more…needed more…and the discovery of Christmastown helped fill that void in his Pumpkin King life.  Maybe the puzzle piece that unlocked the creative genius of this movie was as simple as a Christmas display in a store poking its head out too early and shoving Halloween to the side.  Only Tim Burton knows the answer to that.  But maybe this movie will help you appreciate the seasons…the celebrations…the holidays just a little more.  Maybe The Nightmare Before Christmas will help you see that all things have a purpose if you take the time to realize it.

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