Nightmare Before Christmas Tree Ideas: Build a Jack Skellington Tree

A Nightmare Before Christmas tree starts with a black tree for Halloween Town or a white one for Christmas Town. Wrap it in black and white stripes, add orange and white glass balls, then hang a few licensed character ornaments at eye level. Finish with a moon or Jack Skellington topper and a striped skirt.

Goth Christmas is not affiliated with or endorsed by Disney. The Nightmare Before Christmas and its characters are trademarks of Disney, named here only to describe licensed products.

Pick a base tree for a Nightmare Before Christmas theme

The base tree for a Nightmare Before Christmas theme sets which half of the film you show. Halloween Town is dark and orange; Christmas Town is snowy and bright. Jack’s story moves from one to the other, so either choice fits.

Our black Christmas trees guide covers heights, pre-lit options and pencil shapes if you still need a tree.

Nightmare Before Christmas tree colors from the film

The Nightmare Before Christmas palette comes straight from the characters. Black and white stripes echo Jack’s pinstripe suit. Pumpkin orange stands for Halloween Town, pale yellow for the big moon behind Spiral Hill, and a touch of red for Santa’s sleigh and Christmas Town.

Use the colors in three layers:

1. Ribbon or garland. Black and white striped ribbon wound loosely down the tree carries the theme even before the ornaments go on.
2. Plain glass balls. Orange, white and black balls fill the branches between character pieces, so the tree does not look crowded.
3. Character ornaments. Five to eight focal pieces at eye level read better than dozens of small ones.

Light color does a lot of the work on a dark tree. Orange lights lean Halloween; warm white lights lean Christmas. The goth tree decorating guide explains how to layer lights, garland and ornaments in order.

The holiday doors idea for a Jack Skellington tree

In the film, Jack wanders the forest all night and comes upon a circle of trees, each with a door carved into its trunk. He opens the door shaped like a decorated pine and falls through to Christmas Town, according to the AFI Catalog’s synopsis, and the rest of the story follows.

Fans borrow the scene by fixing a small decorative door to the trunk, the lower branches or a box under the tree. A painted wooden or cardstock door works, and a door with a little light behind it looks like Christmas Town glowing through. Keep any light inside the door battery powered and away from fabric, and switch it off at night.

Licensed Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments for the tree

Licensed Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments come from a short list of Disney licensees. The makers below sell pieces under the film’s name.

• Hallmark sells dated Keepsake Ornaments and a lower-priced Hallmark Ornaments line on its Nightmare Before Christmas page. The Henry Ford museum holds a 2009 Hallmark ornament titled “Welcome to Christmas Town,” a sign of how long the range has run.
• Disney Store sells its own Nightmare Before Christmas ornaments, such as an Oogie Boogie ear hat ornament.
• Jim Shore designs for the Disney Traditions collection; Costco has sold a hand-painted set of four Jim Shore ornaments with Jack, Sally, Zero and Oogie Boogie.
• Department 56 makes a Nightmare Before Christmas village, and its battery-lit Jack on Spiral Hill figurine works beside the tree on a mantel or side table.

For a wider look at makers, villages and retired pieces, see the Nightmare Before Christmas decorations guide.

Nightmare Before Christmas tree toppers and skirts

A Nightmare Before Christmas tree topper finishes the shape of the tree. Jack’s head and jack-o’-lantern shapes are the usual character choices; check the box or tag for the Disney copyright line before you buy one. A crescent moon topper is a simple alternative that keeps the Halloween-night mood without a character.

The skirt grounds everything. A black and white striped skirt repeats Jack’s suit, and a plain black skirt lets a busy tree stand out. Character skirts and stockings follow the same licensing check as the ornaments.

Safety for a Nightmare Before Christmas tree with lights

Safety for a Nightmare Before Christmas tree starts with the tree itself. The CPSC advises buying an artificial tree labeled “Fire Resistant.” The label does not mean the tree cannot burn, only that it resists burning.

Light-up ornaments often run on button batteries. The CPSC warns that a swallowed button battery can burn through a child’s throat or esophagus in as little as two hours. Hang battery pieces high, check that compartments are closed, and keep spare batteries out of reach.

Keep the tree up from Halloween to Christmas

A Nightmare Before Christmas tree can stand from October to December with one swap. Show Halloween Town first, with orange lights, pumpkins and bats. In November, change to white lights, bring Santa Jack and Zero forward, and move pumpkins to the lower branches.

The Halloween Christmas trees guide covers that changeover for any spooky tree. For the whole dark-season look, start at goth Christmas decor.