“The Nightmare Before Christmas” is one of those unconventional holiday movies that traditional viewers may not recognize. However, Tim Burton’s film has developed an immense cult following and turned characters like Jack Skellington into true symbols of Christmas.
Among the immense amount of products from the movie, Christmas ornaments are a particular favorite among fans, and the best "Nightmare Before Christmas" ornament is the Jack Skellington Sandy Claws ornament. Here you’ll find lead character Jack Skellington dressed in his spooky version of Saint Nick, which he calls Sandy Claws.
There are a plethora of ghoulish characters in this unique movie. First and foremost is Jack Skellington, otherwise known as the Pumpkin King. Jack Skellington is a star figure in Halloween Town, where the spooky season never ends, and normally leads the way when it comes to preparing the town for Halloween. But he begins to grow tired of the same old tradition, so he starts teaching residents the way of Christmas. Jack must battle his own faults, and the hesitancy of the townspeople, to learn the true meaning of Christmas.
Director Burton employed a rarely used technique to create the worlds of Halloween Town and Christmas Town in “The Nightmare Before Christmas." He used stop-motion animation, the process of adding physical models to actual real-life sets and manipulating them through each frame of the film. That’s right — each raise of the hand, blink of the eyes and jump in the air had to be physically created with small models of Jack Skellington and his castmates. Each character model was designed after Burton’s handmade drawings.
There are a slew of interesting characters in "The Nightmare Before Christmas," and many of them have made their way onto Christmas ornaments. Jack Skellington, of course, is the star, and his black pin-striped suit and skeleton face have become an iconic part of film culture. Sandy is Jack’s love interest and is designed to look like an old rag doll. Oogie Boogie is an amorphous brown sack filled with live bugs, while Lock, Shock and Barrel are a trio of trick-or-treaters who live in Halloween Town. Santa Claus plays himself in the film, although Jack calls him Sandy Claws.
These inventive ornaments designed by Hallmark turn your Christmas tree and its ornaments into a festival of lights and sound. Here you’ll use the Keepsake Power Cord (sold separately) to plug lights into your ornaments and play scenes directly from "The Nightmare Before Christmas." Watch as Jack Skellington lights up and sings “Making Christmas”; hear Oogie Boogie say lines straight from the film.
Keep in mind, these aren’t separate recordings but sounds straight from the film. If you purchase all Keepsake ornaments you can hear them play full scenes together, with each ornament lighting up during its lines.
Hallmark ornaments in general are of the highest quality. Each is carefully designed and uses highly durable plastic resin to hold its shape. They also are very detailed. Take the Hallmark Oogie Boogie ornament, for example. It shows the details of its stitches, includes worms crawling out of its seams, and stands on a platform straight out of the movie.
The highest quality "Nightmare Before Christmas" ornaments use ribbon hangers. Ribbon can be made with a wide variety of materials, such as plastic, cloth, silk or nylon. While all will bear the weight of an ornament, ribbon is mainly used for its style. Rather than using a metal hook like traditional ornaments, ribbon offers a more sophisticated look. Ribbon is especially important if you purchase high-quality ornaments.
"Nightmare Before Christmas" ornaments cost between $7-$29.
A. There are 12 ornaments in the Hallmark Keepsake collection. If you are looking to add these to the Interactive Storytellers set, be sure to double-check that each ornament is compatible.
A. Yes. In fact, Hallmark sells an all-black "Nightmare Before Christmas" miniature tree, perfect for showcasing your matching ornaments. It fully represents the dark side of Christmas from the film.
Jack Skellington Sandy Claws Ornament
What you need to know: If you want to see Jack Skellington dressed up as Sandy Claws (a.k.a. Santa Claus) hanging in your Christmas tree, this is the ornament for you.
What you’ll love: This silly ornament shows Jack Skellington in a ghoulish version of Saint Nick. His head is huge compared to his tiny body and his fake beard hangs low under his chin.
What you should consider: This ornament is rather large, standing over 5 inches tall.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
"Nightmare Before Christmas" Ornament Bundle
What you need to know: This cute ornament bundle from Hallmark features two surprise characters that stand 2 inches tall.
What you’ll love: These “blind-bag” purchases show up at your door with two of six "Nightmare Before Christmas" characters — Jack Skellington, henchman Oogie Boogie, rag doll Sally, or trick-or-treaters Lock, Shock or Barrel. But you won’t know which until you open the package.
What you should consider: These ornaments are best suited for a miniature Christmas tree.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
"Nightmare Before Christmas" Sandy Claws Ornament
What you need to know: This Hallmark ornament features the Sandy Claws (Santa Claus) character from "The Nightmare Before Christmas."
What you’ll love: The jolly old man has the same large, dramatic red suit as in the movie. He also sports an extra-long white beard that curls at the end, and holds a sack of presents and a candy cane walking stick.
What you should consider: This ornament works with the Hallmark Storytellers Interactive lights but they are sold separately.
Where to buy: Sold by Amazon
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Jordan Beliles writes for BestReviews. BestReviews has helped millions of consumers simplify their purchasing decisions, saving them time and money.
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!["Nightmare Before Christmas" Sandy Claws Ornament](http://cdn6.bestreviews.com/images/v4desktop/image-full-page-cb/nightmare-before-christmas-sandy-claws-ornament-e661bc.jpg?p=w1228 ""Nightmare Before Christmas" Sandy Claws Ornament")