Column by J1 Reporter Avery Kinnison

People love a good movie that they can watch on their favorite holiday. From Christmas to Halloween movies, the possibilities are endless. Most of these films are played about once a year and then forgotten about for the next eleven months. But what about a movie that is for every holiday? Writer Tim Burton’s The Nightmare Before Christmas is just the film.

This film was released on October 29, 2020, and features the technique of stop-motion animation. The movie is rated PG, making it suitable for people of all ages. It has won and been nominated for several awards such as the Oscars, the Golden Globes, and The Saturns. Although it was released almost thirty years ago, The Nightmare Before Christmas still has a large fanbase, racking up thousands of views on apps like Disney + or Amazon. 

While most choose to watch the film either on Christmas or on Halloween, The Nightmare Before Christmas features references to other commonly celebrated holidays like Easter and Thanksgiving. It is because of this that I, among many others, choose to watch it throughout the year. While Christmas and Halloween are the main holidays celebrated in the movie, it is hard to ignore the other references. 

A prominent example of other holidays being shown in the film is when the main character, Jack Skellington, travels to a place in the woods of his home that has several oddly-shaped doors gathered in a circle. As the camera pans around the circle, you can see very clearly that each door represents a different holiday. There are doors shaped like hearts, turkeys, colored eggs, and even a leprechaun hat. 

Although the other holidays are not given as much representation as Halloween or Christmas, there are still other scenes where you can see symbols of them. One scene where this occurs is when the Easter 

Bunny is mistaken for Santa Claus and kidnapped by the three children; Lock, Shock, and Barrel. The children open the bag that he was being held in, and the bright pink bunny leaps out. 

While many still argue that the movie is for Christmas only, it is obvious that they are wrong. Just look at all of the scenes where you can see other holidays, or even the iconic introduction song “This Is Halloween.” 

The movie is truly a film made for every holiday. From bringing Christmas cheer to Halloween spooks, The Nightmare Before Christmas represents almost every basic holiday celebrated.