The Nightmare Before Christmas Ghost - Yeah, He's Been Here

I've been gone forever - but in fairness - I am extremely superstitious so October was a bit scary to be talking about these things for me - and, well... Work (the paying kind) calls. I really don't want this to be just another creepy ghost story website - because it's not. It's life. Real life - and it's not just real life for me. Lots of people deal with this stuff all the time. But we'll talk about that another day. For now... Let's talk about the Nightmare Before Christmas Ghost that I encountered.

Thanks to:www.khinsider.com  

So, you know the character - Jack Skellington - in the movie, right? He's long and lanky and more than a little creepy when you don't know his character. Well, let me just say that there are - um... beings? No, not beings... And not spirits, either. More something dark and supernatural. Anyway - they dwell all around us, but most of us are lucky enough not to see them.

I have had the misfortune of seeing one of these guys - and ironically - it was only about a week or so before Christmas. This was last year, when activity seemed to be hitting a fever pitch around here. No - we didn't have flying bowls and glasses - thank goodness - but the noises and other manifestations were occurring at all times of the day.

At night, when my husband was working - I would wake up to see my closet door opening and hear the pulls on my dresser flopping against their brackets. One night around this time, I was falling asleep. Of course it was dark - call me crazy, I like to sleep in the dark - and my eyes suddenly flew open. You know how it is when you hear a sound that you can't identify but suddenly you're wide awake? Yes, that's what this was like.

So I lay there, hardly breathing. Straining to hear in the dark and staring at the long shadows in the dark room. I didn't dare move. From the corner of my eye (Have I told this little story yet? Maybe, but I'm on a roll...), a smoke - or something - that was darker than the darkness of my room began to lean in over the bed. It seemed to creep toward me and made my heart race.

Now, I am extremely spiritual, and I believe that when you need help, all you have to do is pray. So, I did what any terrified woman on the 40 side of 30 would do. I turned my back to the smoke, covered my head with my covers and prayed like I have only prayed a few times before.

Anyway - this happened to me a few nights before the "Nightmare Before Christmas" ghost showed up, and his appearance, I believe, was entirely accidental. Once again, my husband was working. I, too, was working. It was about 9:30 pm. My granddaughter and daughter were sleeping, and I had some cheerful Christmas movie on. I wasn't paying attention to it, but I often work with the television on - it makes me feel less alone.

So - what would you do if you saw this guy poking out of your hallway?

I was sitting in a chair that was facing the Christmas tree. The lights were dim because I love the colored lights and cozy feel that holiday decorations offer. So, I was concentrating pretty deeply. My laptop, as usual, hard at work on my lap - and I absorbed in my most current project.

I was taking a moment, just giving my eyes a moment to rest. We have a hallway that begins on one side of our living room. I could see the beginning of the hallway from my seat, but not down the hall - as it is across the room. I looked at the wall just past the beginning of the hall. It's a good place to focus when you're trying to regroup.

As I stared blankly, I noticed something come walking out from the hall. It was tall - gangly. It was ugly, but not naked or intentionally ugly. Just... like this was what it looked like and some things can't be helped. This guy was tall, like as tall as you could imagine Jack Skellington himself being. I would guess about 7 feet - or almost. His fingers were long, his legs were long... And extremely thin. He walked with a hunch, but how I know this I'm not sure, because I didn't see him for that long. In fact, when I first saw him, it was like he was just casually strolling to - somewhere. Where do creepy things go when they're just strolling anyway?

I saw one of his unnaturally long, skinny legs step itself around the wall. Then his upper body came into view. If he made a noise it was a humming - like if he had a song in his head. Maybe though, that was in my head. He turned and looked at me. I saw him look at me - leg caught mid-stride. He stopped and I swear I heard an, "Ooops," as he stepped back out of view.

Well, he thought he was out of view, but I could see the air shimmering where he stood.

It was right about this time that my phone dinged. It was my neighbor, who can see these things much more clearly than I can. She told me that the little girl ghost (who apparently we used to share) was sending her an image. She was sitting on my couch, swinging her legs - telling my neighbor to tell me not to engage this thing.

It was weird because that was my first thought, "Who are you?" I was sending out the thought just as I got the text. And suddenly I felt my whole body begin to tingle as something unseen but very felt rushed toward me. Possibly eager to overtake me, but definitely way beyond my meager league.

Pray, my mind screamed. So I did. I, once again, prayed as if my soul depended on it. I have a children's bible that my grandparents gave to me when I was young. I retrieved it from my bedside and opened it. Of course I opened it to a section about prostitution, BUT, I didn't care. At that moment it didn't matter what part of the Bible I had opened - it only mattered that it was open.

I prayed, desperately hard. I called all the Angels, and my grandparents - my husband grandparents and any deceased relatives I had to help me in this battle. I needed help, and I believe that I received it that night.

The "Nightmare Before Christmas" ghost never really went away, I don't think. He is gone now and has been for quite some time, but that night he was only sapped of power. Not forced to leave. He was rendered powerless enough that I could sleep soundly. So for me that was a victory.