In Nightmare, Jack Skellington, the spider-limbed Pumpkin King of Halloweentown, happens upon Christmastown, becomes transfixed then obsessed, and tries to fit the square peg of Halloween into the round hole of Christmas, generating mirthy mayhem and holiday transmigration. And this was a Disney film.
The Disney people, never ones to miss a synergistic marketing opportunity, had a lightbulb insight several years ago when they realized they already had a perfect vehicle for sparking the relatively slow theme park season between summer and The Holidays by outfitting the beloved Haunted Mansion attraction of Disneyland Nightmare Before Christmas-style, resulting in three full months of festive holiday miscegenation.
"Haunted Mansion Holiday" shows what happens when "the traditions of Halloween and Christmas collide," depicting a Holiday Season "as taken over by Jack Skellington and his friends from Halloweentown."
Incidentally, Haunted Holiday Mansion is a cornerstone of the SoCal resort's first ever Halloween makeover, "HalloweenTime," running today through Halloween, involving redecorating the park with over 300 jack-o-lanterns, orange and yellow bunting, putting costumes on the Disney characters — costumes on costumes, as it were — offering festive food items in restaurants, special merchandise in stores, and crafts and activites for the kiddies.
So back to the month of Halloween: I don't see it extending back much farther into September, which carries in it the dying embers of summer, which we in the seasonal climes are very reluctant to surrender hastily. And Halloween itself seems a pretty sturdy barrier for the spook themes, although the autumnal/harvest aspects certainly carry on until Thanksgiving, the little buffer holiday.
I think we will see more exploration of the Halloween/Christmas nexus - Disney, via the imagination of Tim Burton, has led the way.
Article comments
1 - Eric Berlin
BOO !
2 - Eric Olsen
It has begun
3 - Eric Berlin
I totally scared you, right ?
4 - Jet In Columbus
Oh fine now you can come over and rock me to sleep...
5 - Donnie Marler
The grandson loves Halloween! It's the only time of the year he can knock on Papa's door covered in fake blood without getting strangled for it!
He's four, and we make a big deal out of it for him. You're only a child once.
6 - Eric Olsen
we love Halloween - it really is the anti-Chritmas and seems a needed tonic, in advance.
Our almost 7-yer-old's birthday is in mid-October so she gets to have an early Halloween party most years.
I'm surprised to see the Disney Channel isn't doing their month-o-Halloween programming this year - at least they haven't said anything about it yet, and by now they would have.
7 - Baronius
Thanks for noticing this. There's been Halloween candy in the stores for maybe two weeks now, and I don't remember that happening in previous years. I guess the goal is to make The Holidays last from mid-September to Valentine's Day. If Hallmark can invent some Tax Day decorations, it'll last seven months.
8 - Eric Olsen
yes! eventually we will need a holiday from the extended holidays
9 - Mat Brewster
With the Simpsons Halloween special not running until Nov 6 due to football you can even extend the holiday an extra week.
We have an annual pumpkin carving contest at our place about two weeks before the big day. It's always a big hit.
10 - JR
Baronius: I guess the goal is to make The Holidays last from mid-September to Valentine's Day.
You're forgetting Easter - the candy season already lasts until April (or late March, whenever Easter is).
11 - Eric Olsen
great point about the Simpsons! It always comes after Halloween but that's about the latest I remember it running. And you're right, it's important enough that it does actually impact the culture.
12 - Baronius
JR, if you know what you're doing, you can make any holiday about eating. I eat more on July 4th than on Thanksgiving. I don't know why, Easter doesn't feel like part of the continuous holiday to me. Maybe because of Lent.
The Simpsons season begins during November sweeps. Fox schedulers would inject their parents with heroin if it increased their ratings.
13 - Eric Olsen
I think one of the Treehouses of Horror did include injecting parents with heroin
14 - Mat Brewster
I only do Heroin injections for Arbor Day. Halloween is more of a meth holiday for my family.
15 - larry
how nice to hear how you celebrate a kids kids holiday!!
16 - Mat Brewster
Kids holiday!?! Arbor day is strictly for adults.
17 - Nancy
Got news for ya, Eric: stores in our area had
christmas shit up for sale the day after Labor Day. This is getting just 'way too grabby & greedy on the part of merchants, IMO. I'm engaging in a (so far as I know) one woman boycott of any kind of "holiday" sales by these importunate money grubbers. I only wish they WOULD start in on christmas the day after Thanksgiving like they should, or even the day after Halloween.
18 - Eric Olsen
I'm talking about in the public imagaination and across the culture rather than the worst offenders on the retail side. And having it available isn't the same as pushing it. All the stores I've seen are pushing Halloween - the Xmas stuff may be there but it is't being pushed.
19 - diana hartman
I am pleased to tell you this article is being featured in the Culture Focus today, October 2nd.
Diana Hartman
Culture Editor