Family Movie Night Activity: The Nightmare Before Christmas
Jack Skellington knows everything about having a wicked Halloween in Halloweentown, but when he discovers Christmastown he can’t quite master the concept of having a holly, jolly Christmas. But you can have a holly, jolly and wicked Family Movie Night with this Family Movie Night Activity!
Movie Snacks:
*For dinner make Sally’s special recipe for soup. Just make any favorite soup but label it as Deadly Nightshade Soup with Frog’s Breath and Worm Wart.
*The iconic image of this movie is the giant yellow moon as the background for the twirly hillside where Jack and Sally sing their songs. Make sugar cookies and frost them with the perfect shade of moonshine-yellow icing. Then you can use black icing to make your own twirly hillsides or skeleton silhouettes.
*Grab some Hostess-like Snowball cupcakes in honor of Christmastown and Jack’s very first snowball.
*Some kind of tasty green punch would be perfect for this flick and if you had a punch fountain it would be epic. Model it after the fountain in the middle of Halloweentown with that eery green glow, then drop some dry ice for that added measure of eeriness that Sally makes when she adds the fog juice to the fountain.
Must Pause Moment:
*No need to pause the beginning of the flick but you simply must dance like goblins and crazy monsters to the opening number “This is Halloween”.
*When Oogie Boogie takes the stage things can get a little intense. Pause the movie if your little ones are getting stressed and play a dice game with them like Oogie does. The first person to roll Snake Eyes gets the best seat in the house and control of the remote.
*When all the kids in Christmas town are opening their nightmarish presents, pause the flick and have everyone say what the worst Christmas present would be. Or make a Wish-Not List for Christmas.
Activities:
*Wrap a mystery present (in Spooky type wrapping) that will make interesting sounds when shaken, then give everyone a chance to guess what’s in the spooky gift wrap.
*Before the flick have everyone in your family decorate a large piece of butcher paper for each holiday. Then hang each masterpiece on various doors in your house just like the trees in the woods where Jack finds the Christmastown door.
*Make haunted Gingerbread houses using candy corn, black licorice, and appropriately colored M&M’s.
Movie Night Crafts:
*Before the show use sturdy craft paper to make bowties with Halloween flare just like the one Jack wears.
*Make masks that can reflect your mood during the night. Happy when you’re having a good time, scared when you’re feeling spooked and sleepy when it’s time for bed. This way you can be as expressive as the Mayor of Halloweentown.
*If you’re feeling really and truly exceptionally crafty then gather all the fabric and tools needed to make a fun Halloween patchwork quilt or blanket in honor of the beautifully pieced together Sally.
Danielle’- Halloweentown Citizen
Rated PG for some scary images; 76 min; Directed by Henry Selick