A Nightmare Before Christmas Party
There’s long been the debate, is Nightmare Before Christmas a Christmas movie or Halloween movie? Although I personally watch Nightmare Before Christmas during both holiday seasons, I’ve always found it to be more of a Christmas movie, since the majority of the film takes place during that time. I thought it would be fun to put together a holiday get together with friends that was a Nightmare Before Christmas party, but with more of an emphasis on the Christmas elements of the film! I just love the contrast of cheery Christmas colors and Christmas lights with the spooky elements of Halloween town!
The Decor
For my canvas, I used a simple black tablecloth – I always like to be efficient space wise and money wise with my decor, so I like using plain tablecloths since I can use them for so many different party themes. For the background, I got a $6 plain wreath at Michael’s, then cut and hot glued felt for it’s teeth, eyes, and the skull on the bow. Super cheap supplies, but ends up looking like a pricey Etsy item! I used a chalkboard to prop up the wreath, and to make them “blend” together, had my hubby draw on the NBC wreath’s arms.
For the centerpiece, I used a Zero popcorn bucket from Disneyland, and placed a mix of floral arrangement pieces that were black and Christmassy from a craft store. Then I placed a Christmas light bulb garland around the bucket.
To really pull the whole look of the table together, I used Zak! Designs’ Nightmare Before Christmas plates, bowls, and cups. I love that the plates and bowls look very high end, but aren’t glass, so great for parties since you don’t have to worry about them breaking! You can find the Zak! Designs Nightmare Before Christmas line here. For the napkin rings, I cut out white skulls from stiff felt, drew on a skeleton face, and hot glued onto black ribbon, then tied around the place setting.
The Food
Simple Veggie Side Dishes
Being a vegetarian, I always love to have plenty of healthy yet incredibly delicious veggie side dishes! I made roasted brussel sprouts that I dubbed “Oogie Boogie Brussel Sprouts” since they are his same green color, and when mixed with nuts and dried cranberries helps give it that added element of texture Oogie has. When throwing a themed party with healthy foods, it’s always easy to think of veggie side dishes you would like to have, then think of how you can name them or tweak them to somehow tie into a character’s color, texture, personality etc. For my brussel sprouts, I pre-heated my oven to 325 degrees F, and tossed chopped brussel sprouts in balsamic, olive oil, lemon juice, and salt and pepper, and cooked in a cast iron skillet for 35 minutes. Then I mixed in dried cranberries, walnuts, and a little more balsamic. I also served “Roasted Cauliflower ‘Brains'”, that are reminiscent of Dr. Finkelstein’s brains in NBC. For roasted cauliflower, I roasted on a pan at 325 degrees F in olive oil, salt, and pepper for 40 minutes.
Sandy Claws Soup (Roasted Red Pepper & Tomato Bisque)
For this soup, I used a red bell pepper to cut a lobster claw, for a Sandy Claws soup!
Ingredients:
- 3 red bell peppers
- 1 28oz can crushed tomatoes
- 2 carrots
- 3 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 can coconut cream
- Rosemary
- Salt
- Pepper
Instructions:
- Roast finely chopped bell peppers and carrots on a pan in olive oil, salt, and pepper for 20 minutes at 450 degrees F.
- Allow to cool off a little, then blend them together with chopped onions in a blender till smooth.
- Place your mixture, along with coconut cream, broth, and tomatoes in a crockpot on high for 3 hours.
- Season with rosemary, salt, and pepper to taste.
Jack Skellington Vegetarian Pot Pies
Ingredients
Makes 8 pies
- 2 pie crusts
- 1/2 cup peas
- 5 baby potatoes
- 1 cup vegetable broth
- 1/2 yellow onion
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1 Tbsp oil
- Salt and pepper
Directions
- Heat olive oil, chopped yellow onion, and chopped potatoes in a pan, sauteeing for about 7 minutes
- Meanwhile, use circle cookie cutters to cut a top and bottom pie crust for each of your pies
- In your pot pie mixture, add in broth, flour, salt and pepper. Whisk together, and simmer for 7 minutes or until thick.
- Add in 1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas to your mixutre, simmering for an additional 5 minutes.
- Using a toothpick, draw and cut out Jack’s eyes, nose, and mouth on the top portions of your pie crusts.
- Line mini pie tins with your bottom crusts. Then scoop in your pot pie filling.
- Top each pie with the Jack Skellington portion of your pie crust, pressing down the edges lightly with your fingers.
- Brush the top lightly with oil or egg whites.
- Bake for 30 minutes at 325 degrees F.
Healthy Zero Gingerbread
Ingredients:
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp ground ginger
- 1 tsp cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup mashed ripe bananas (approx. 2 bananas)
- 1/2 cup unsweetened almond milk
- 1/4 cup coconut oil
- 1/4 cup applesauce
- 1/2 cup molasses
Topping Ingredients:
- White chocolate
- Dark chocolate
- Candied ginger
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
- Whisk together flour, ginger, cinnamon, and baking soda.
- In a separate bowl, mix together banana, milk, oil, applesauce, and molasses.
- Combine both mixtures together thoroughly.
- Spray a cake pan with coconut oil, and pour in cake mixture, bake for 30 minutes.
- Allow to cool completely before decorating.
- Place melted white chocolate in a piping bag with a small round tip, and “draw” on Zeros along the border of the cake.
- While the white chocolate is still gooey, place small candied ginger pieces for Zero’s nose.
- Use dark chocolate in a piping bag with a small round tip to “draw” on a collar and eyes for Zero.
- Place in the fridge for 10-15 minutes to allow the chocolate to harden.
- Serve and enjoy!
And there you have it! A Nightmare Before Christmas party, with lots of Christmas flair! Below you can find pins for your convenience to pin the party or individual recipes for later:
