In our go-to fairy tales (& costume considerations for Halloween) why do we think ‘they lived happily ever after’ will ever come to be?

Will I ever find my prince?

Maybe, maybe not. That’s ok, because the trick is to find my way for ME to treat me right.(Think trick and treat, not trick or treat.)

How can I be happy with someone else if I’m not happy with me?

Cinderella’s glass slippers are hard to walk in and certainly not practical to dance in, either. (I’d rather be traipsing about in comfortable shoes.)

Hanging out with Snow White’s seven dwarves? Certainly wouldn’t have much time to belabor aloneness and friendship is comfortingly good. Who needs a prince?

Sleepwalking through life, like Sleeping Beauty, I’m not sure a prince would be enough to wake me up. (Really loud & clamoring? I might open my eyes a minute or two.)

The thing is, life is NOT a fairy tale. Landmines hide along the paths of our dreams. We step on them – BOOM! – dreams obliterated, pieces of our hopes strewn amidst debris.

Hate to break it to ya, but there is no ‘happily ever after.’

Beanheads lurk around every many corners of our dating lives. If I haven’t found my prince (or a living breathing guy, to, like, share my life with) that’s ok.

Because I’m in charge of this story. I am my own heroine.

I don’t need glass slippers that shatter. I don’t need glass slippers to be ME!

I can go as myself on Halloween.

I never resonated with Cinderella (I have big feet), or Snow White (too beautiful to be seen), or Sleeping Beauty (wake up, wake UP!) but I do (did, will always) love Sally in The Nightmare Before Christmas because she loves Jack Skellington (The Pumpkin King) and I’ve been crushing on him for years!

Sally keeps it together by a thread (literally) as she rushes to save Santa Claus from Oogie Boogie when Jack Skellington is off taking over Santa’s Christmas duties (& botching it up a little.)

woah, maybe I better back up for those of you unfamiliar with this Tim Burton movie that came out in 1993 and resonated with me, mightily (seen 4 times in the theater whilst living overseas.)

After presiding over a roaringly successful Halloween, restless Jack Skellington (my kind of prince, actually a king – the Pumpkin King) stumbles into Christmas Town where he is bedazzled by everything Christmas. Returning home, he galvanizes the goblins and ghouls of Halloween to take over Christmas (including kidnapping Mr. Santy Claus.)

Jack, a little bored with the status quo

That is the basic story line (no spoilers, here) loaded with hysterical fun. It’s been one of my favorite movies for 24 years.

And, Sally, she is my kinda gal. Patched zig-zaggedly with stuffing occasionally coming out, she sews herself back together and does her bit saving the day (in between being there for Jack Skellington.)

sigh.

Skellington Jack, the Pumpkin King!! Misguided, misdirected, misunderstood, possibly mistaken, but committed…

My dearest friend, if you don’t mind…

I’d like to join you by your side.

Where we can gaze into the stars…  And sit together, now and forever.

For it is plain, as anyone can see.

We’re simply meant to be.

Maybe ‘happily-ever-afters’ are possible – on Halloween!

If you haven’t seen The Nightmare Before Christmas, it’s on Netflix (& in a few theaters for Halloween) and will be showing here @ Virginia’s, who also watches it (again) every year before Christmas (it works for both holidays.)

grace, peace & Happily-Ever-After-Halloweens

Virginia : )

For a peek at the original movie trailer on YouTube, click here:

The Nightmare Before Christmas