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Some families in our church still raise an eyebrow at it, but The Nightmare Before Christmas plays at our house every December. My kids say it is a Christmas movie, and since Jack spends the whole film trying to bring Christmas home, I have stopped arguing.
Their favorite part is Oogie Boogie, the burlap sack full of bugs, so this year he gets a spot in the Christmas decorating. Here are 20 Oogie Boogie Christmas decor ideas, from felt and paper ornaments for the tree to wreaths for the front door, a window silhouette the neighbors can see, and a party table with a bug platter and green cupcakes. Most are made with burlap, felt, cardstock and dollar store finds, and each one links to the crafter who made it. If someone in your house wants to dress up too, our Sally costume ideas pair well with these, and our Christmas door decorating ideas have more ways to dress the front door.
1. Oogie Boogie Mickey ears paper ornament
SaveCredit: The Purple Pumpkin Blog
This one turns the classic Mickey head shape into Oogie Boogie, stitches and bugs and all, and it looks so fun tucked in the branches. It is made from green, brown and black construction paper or cardstock with a free printable template.
Print the template, cut the pieces, glue the face onto the green head and add a loop of black string or ribbon. A pinch of fine black glitter is optional, and you can laminate them if little hands will be handling the tree.
2. Felt Oogie Boogie plush ornament
SaveCredit: Single Girl’s DIY
A little stuffed Oogie made of green felt is soft enough for a kid’s tree and sweet enough for the main one. The free pattern makes one body, a face, eyebrows and his scar.
Cut two body pieces, stitch the black felt eyes and mouth onto one of them, then blanket stitch the two together with a loop of ribbon tucked into the head. Stuff him with a bit of poly fill before you close the last few inches. If you would rather not sew, hot glue works and a black marker can draw the stitches.
3. Oogie Boogie in a clear ball ornament
SaveCredit: Housewife Eclectic
Clear photo ornaments that pull apart into two halves make this one easy. Trace one half on yellow cardstock, cut the circle and press a black vinyl Oogie Boogie onto it.
Keep the design under about 2.5 inches wide so it fits, then slip the circle inside and snap the ornament shut. No Cricut? Print the silhouette onto paper and cut it into a circle instead.
4. A whole Nightmare ornament set on a stand
SaveCredit: Housewife Eclectic
Once you have made one ball ornament, make the whole cast. The same method works for Jack’s face, Sally on turquoise paper, Zero and the curly hill with Jack and Sally.
Hang the set from a simple ornament stand on a side table or the mantel so guests can see each one up close. It is a nice way to show off Oogie without giving the whole tree over to him.
5. Cheesecloth Oogie Boogie ornament
SaveCredit: Va-Voom Vintage
For a flat ornament with real texture, this one uses creepy cloth from Dollar Tree, the loose woven fabric sold as spider web decor. A few layers of it look just like his worn sack.
Cut the shape from the free printable pattern, add his black and cream felt face and stitch the edges with thread or yarn. Hot glue holds everything while you sew.
6. Felt Oogie with the whole Halloween Town crew
SaveCredit: {Not Quite} Susie Homemaker
Make one felt Oogie and you will want the rest of the gang. This set pairs him with felt Jack, Sally, Zero and a little skull.
Use green and black craft felt, black embroidery floss and poly fill for Oogie, and the same blanket stitch for the others. Hang them on the tree, tie them onto a wreath or put a longer ribbon on one for a doorknob.
7. Printable build an Oogie Boogie paper craft
SaveCredit: The Purple Pumpkin Blog
This is the craft I would set out at the kitchen table for the kids while the cookies bake. The free printable has his head and body, arms, feet, dice and a snake, and the regular size makes a figure about 4 inches tall.
There is also a large size that builds an Oogie about 12 inches tall, which is big enough to tape to a window or the front of a gift. Cut, glue and add the snake in his mouth if you like.
8. The man eating Haunted Mansion wreath
SaveCredit: {Not Quite} Susie Homemaker
If you have ever been through Haunted Mansion Holiday at Disneyland, you know the hungry wreath with yellow eyes and sharp teeth. This version starts with a 12 inch evergreen wreath and cardstock in yellow, black and white.
Glue the white teeth to the back so they poke through the center, add the yellow eyes about 3 to 4 inches from the middle and finish with a red burlap bow and a tiny Jack face. It looks wonderful on a wood front door.
9. Bugs and burlap Oogie Boogie wreath
SaveCredit: Chicken Scratch NY
This wreath is Oogie himself in wreath form, all burlap, black stitches and bugs. Cover a straw wreath in black duck tape first so the background looks dark through the weave.
Wrap it in 6 inch strips of raw edge burlap, add big messy cross stitches with black yarn and glue on plastic bugs, biggest first and small ones to fill. To cut burlap straight, pull out one thread and cut along the gap.
10. Jack skull wreath with a striped bow
SaveCredit: Make Life Lovely
This one is modeled on the dark wreaths that hang outside the Haunted Mansion at Christmas, and it makes a great partner for an Oogie piece on the other side of the door. It starts with a black pine wreath and dollar store berry stems.
The skull is carved from a piece of pink foam insulation board, painted white with black eyes, and set on a big bow of black wired ribbon. White fabric paint makes the stripes so it looks like Jack’s suit.
11. Burlap Oogie Boogie table centerpiece
SaveCredit: Make Life Lovely
For a party table, a stuffed burlap Oogie standing in a pile of gummy bugs is the showstopper. He looks like he just split open at the end of the movie.
Set him at the back of a platter on a black and white striped runner so the bugs spill toward your guests. Paint pumpkins and Jack faces around him to finish the scene.
12. No sew burlap Oogie Boogie cutout
SaveCredit: Make Life Lovely
Here is how that burlap Oogie gets made. Fold a piece of burlap so you cut two shapes at once, then cut his eyes and grin from black felt and glue them onto the front piece.
Stitch around the mouth with black embroidery floss through one layer only, glue the two pieces together and stitch the edges, leaving the bottom open. Stuff him with newspaper or plastic bags so he stands up.
13. Oogie Boogie bug platter
SaveCredit: Make Life Lovely
Fill a platter with gummy bugs, worms and spiders and tuck the burlap Oogie at the back. It is the end of the movie on a plate, and the kids think it is hilarious.
Look for realistic gummy bugs, earthworm gummies and gummy tarantulas. Put it out with napkins and let everyone grab a handful.
14. Green Oogie cupcakes with gummy bugs
SaveCredit: Make Life Lovely
Order plain cupcakes from the store, frost them in Oogie’s bright green and stick a gummy bug or worm on top. It takes about ten minutes and they look right at home next to the bug platter.
Set them on a glass cake stand so the green frosting shows. A centipede draped over the edge gets the biggest reaction.
15. Jack Skellington treat pails
SaveCredit: Make Life Lovely
Little white favor pails with a Jack face on the front make sweet place settings or take home treats. The faces are cut from black vinyl.
Tie black and white striped ribbon on the handle, add a small skull and fill each pail with two swirl lollipops, candy corn and foil wrapped caramels.
16. Jack o lantern milk bottles
SaveCredit: Make Life Lovely
Glass milk bottles with black jack o lantern faces are so easy and they bring the Pumpkin King to the table. Fill them with milk and add black and white striped straws.
Cut the faces from black vinyl or paint them on with black enamel paint. They are cute with cookies on Christmas Eve too.
17. Oogie Boogie window silhouette
SaveCredit: TwisterMc
This might be the easiest big impact idea on the list. Oogie is cut from dollar store poster board and set inside a window, so at night the lights behind him turn him into a giant shadow for the whole street.
To get him that big, print a photo as large as you can and trace it, or project the printout onto a wall with a lamp and trace the outline. Add Zero in the next window over.
18. Jack Skellington garage door face
SaveCredit: TwisterMc
Give Oogie some company outside with a giant Jack face across the garage door. The eyes, nose and stitched smile are cut from cardboard and covered in black duck tape.
Strong little magnets hold the pieces on, and as long as nothing crosses two panels the door still opens with no trouble. It reads from the end of the driveway.
19. Painted Oogie Boogie pumpkin
SaveCredit: Chica and Jo
A faux craft pumpkin with Oogie painted on it can stay out long after Halloween and look right under a Nightmare tree. Print the free pattern, then trace it on with carbon transfer paper or cut it into a stencil.
Paint the background black, leave his face orange and add yellow for the eyes. Because it is a craft pumpkin, you can pack it away with the ornaments and pull it out again next year.
20. Glowing carved Oogie Boogie pumpkin
SaveCredit: Chica and Jo
For a softer glow, carve Oogie into a carvable craft pumpkin instead of painting him. Use the same free pattern in the small one page size or the large two page size.
Cut the background away and leave his face, then set a battery candle or a short string of lights inside. It makes a great accent on the porch or the mantel all season.
How to decorate an Oogie Boogie Christmas tree
Start with the colors. Oogie is burlap tan and bright green with black stitches, so a green tree with warm white lights, a burlap ribbon garland and black and white striped ribbon for Jack looks right without any special supplies.
Mix the handmade ornaments above with a few bought ones. Hallmark makes a small resin Oogie Boogie ornament, and Disney and Jim Shore have sold sets with Jack, Sally, Zero and Oogie together.
Finish with a pile of plastic bugs or a pair of oversized dice tucked into the branches, a nod to the scene where Oogie gambles with Santa. A felt Oogie or a burlap bow makes a fun tree topper if you skip the star this year.
Oogie Boogie Christmas decor FAQ
Is The Nightmare Before Christmas a Halloween or Christmas movie? It is both, which is why the decor works from October to December. Jack is the Pumpkin King of Halloween Town who finds Christmas Town and tries to take over the holiday.
What materials look most like Oogie Boogie? Burlap is the closest match for his sack body, with black embroidery floss or yarn for the stitches. Green felt works for a brighter cartoon look, and loosely woven cheesecloth or creepy cloth gives a worn, flat version.
Can kids help make these decorations? Yes. The paper ornament and the printable build an Oogie craft are just cutting and gluing, and the felt plush can be glued instead of sewn. Leave the hot glue and the craft knife to the grown ups.
Where should I put Oogie Boogie decorations? The tree and the front door are the obvious spots, but a window silhouette, a mantel ornament stand and the party table all give him a place without turning the whole house into Halloween Town.
