It’s the nightmare before Christmas; last minute gift buying and trips to the grocery store, traveling, and stressing. We all know and have at one point been fascinated by Tim Burton’s holiday claymation creation, the book format being no exception in my case. The plot is the same and the illustrations are just as eye popping as the film. This is a favorite nightmare of mine and has changed the way so many of us look at Christmas. The songs are embedded in our memories, the characters are still relevant years later, and the story captures the spirit in a way the Santa Clause, Miracle on 34th St., and all the other Disney movies fail to. It’s simply meant to be the perfect Christmas Eve read (24/25).