As the holiday season approaches, people are preparing to watch their favorite holiday movies, one of the most popular being none other than “The Nightmare Before Christmas.” 

But which holiday does “The Nightmare Before Christmas” celebrate? On the surface level, the case seems pretty clear-cut. “It’s a Christmas movie. Christmas is literally in the name,” said senior Melody Lin.

And while that may be true, “Nightmare” is also in the movie title. And though it could be referring to the nightmarish hassle surrounding buying Christmas presents, the question still remains: Christmas or Halloween? 

I have reason to believe that “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is actually a Halloween movie, but a quick synopsis is required first. Beware of spoilers beyond this point!

The movie first introduces Halloween Town, where all the citizens celebrate and prepare for Halloween year-round. However, the leader of Halloween Town, Jack Skellington, grows tired of celebrating year after year, and finds a door leading to Christmas Town. 

There, he is amazed by the festivities, and vows that Halloween will steal Christmas and make it better, putting his own spin on Christmas in an attempt to capture its essence. 

Eventually, the town kidnaps Santa Claus and Jack Skellington takes his place, sending nightmarish presents to all of the inhabitants of Christmas Town, leaving terrified households in his wake. 

Eventually, he is shot out of his sleigh and wakes up in a graveyard, realizing how terribly his plan had gone. However, this disaster only revitalizes his own Halloween spirit, and he finds himself excited for Halloween once again, rushing home to set things right. 

And at the end of the movie, Santa flies overhead, bringing snow over Christmas as Jack Skellington and the living ragdoll Sally realize their love for each other under the moonlight.

“The storyline relates more to a cute Christmas movie than a Halloween one. Jack discovers Christmas and wants to celebrate it,” said sophomore Danni Zheng.

But while “The Nightmare Before Christmas” certainly contains some aspects of Christmas as Jack Skellington discovers Christmas and tries to replicate it, the main resolution of the story itself involves the revitalization of Halloween spirit, with Christmas as a means to this end. 

Additionally, the main aesthetic of this holiday movie is that of Halloween. Aside from the few scenes in Christmas Town, the movie is pictured in dark colors, with spooky and horrifying elements. 

The majority of the characters we see in the movie are the scary inhabitants of Halloween Town. One of the residents turns into a large collection of insects. 

Another frequently detaches her limbs and regularly poisons her creator. 

And the town residents sing a song about capturing and attacking Santa Claus, which doesn’t quite capture the essence of Christmas for me. 

Many of the songs in the movie’s soundtrack are also centered around Halloween, with the opening song and main theme, “This is Halloween,” describing the Halloween events and festivities. (It’s a great song, I recommend listening to it at least once) 

Even the movie’s release date supports that it is a Halloween movie, as “The Nightmare Before Christmas” premiered on October 29, 1993, two days shy of Halloween.

Not convinced? Henry Selick, the director of the movie, was asked in a 2015 Q&A to settle the question once and for all. His response? “Oh boy. It’s a Halloween movie.” 

“The main character is the leader of Halloween town. Everything is centered and themed around Halloween,” Sophomore Su Qi Tian said.

Nevertheless, if you want a cute holiday movie with slightly horrifying imagery to watch on Christmas or Halloween, “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a perfect, timeless choice. 

Of course, most of the movie is set in the days between Halloween and Christmas, primarily during November. So the real answer may be that “The Nightmare Before Christmas” is a Thanksgiving movie. Or an Easter movie. The Easter Bunny makes an appearance.