This story is based on the "Haunted Mansion Holiday" attraction at the Disneyland park, which in turn is based on Disneyland's Haunted Mansion and the Tim Burton movie "The Nightmare Before Christmas."


T'was a long time ago, longer now than it seems

In a place that perhaps you've seen in your dreams.

For the story that you are about to be told

Began with the holiday worlds of old.

I know you're curious to see what's inside

It's what happens when two holidays collide.

Welcome my friends, to our Christmas delight

Come witness a ghoulishly glorious sight.

It's time for our holiday tale to begin;

There's no turning back now…please, do settle in.

Our holiday tale is a tale that's quite charming

But during this season, it's sometimes…alarming!

So relax and reflect – feel free to take pause

While we tell you a tale about dear "Sandy Claws."

Snow fell softly in the city of New Orleans. As a designer named Crystal Rhock looked out her window, she watched the flakes drift by and her thoughts turned to the impending holiday – it was already December 24th. Crystal loved Christmas, but this was the time of year that always got busy. People wanting her to decorate their houses, or prepare a Christmas party, or something like that.

Crystal was in her new designing studio – the one she had purchased with the money she had received from George Gracey. She smiled at the thought of him, and remembered her little adventure that had happened not too long ago in an old mansion. Thinking that the master of the house wanted her to redecorate, she was shocked to find out that it was haunted. After freeing the ghosts from their imprisonment there, George had rewarded her with a cool million dollars – which Crystal had promptly spent on a new house and studio.

How ironic it was that just as she was thinking about George Gracey, the mail arrived – which included a faded envelope that looked several years old. Crystal immediately recognized the letter and the calligraphy handwriting on it – it was a letter from George. Yes, she had freed all of the ghosts, but George had to stay behind, as well as a fortune teller trapped in a crystal ball named Madame Leota. Curious, she opened the letter, and was surprised and a little weirded out at what it said:

To our friend Crystal, the saver of ghosts

There is a problem our mansion now hosts.

A skeleton man from Halloween Town

Has come here and flipped our home upside down.

We tried to remove him; he insisted on staying

And revamped the manor (Which required no paying).

Please come and remove him! We want him out now!

He's "Christmassed" our home - changed it, and how!

But something's amiss, even larger, we fear

There's Halloween mixed in with Christmas here!

The worst part is this, I am sad to say:

Our ghosts have returned because of this holiday!

Please come and save them, we need you here, please!

Because only you can solve our problem with ease.

George Gracey

Crystal reread this letter, snickering. Was this real? Why did the whole letter rhyme? Deciding to check it out, she locked up her office and headed to the mansion.

When she arrived, she was shocked to see that the mansion HAD changed. It was covered in snow, of course, but it seemed to be decorated for Christmas…and Halloween. There was garland wrapped around the giant pillars at the front, and jack 'o lanterns were lining the porch. Boughs of holly were ornately placed on the railing on the porch, and candles were outlining the whole scene, not currently lit because it was daytime. But what surprised Crystal the most was that there was a coffin that seemed to be on the roof! On closer inspection, it appeared to be a coffin made into a sleigh. There were skeletal reindeer attached to it, and they seemed to be waiting patiently on the roof for someone. They glanced at Crystal as she approached, and she smiled at them. They didn't seem to care whether she was there or not, and continued to stand boredly on the roof. She knocked on the front door, and it slowly opened.

When she entered the foyer, she saw that it too was decorated for the holidays – garland lined the top of the walls, with skeleton heads attached at the lower parts of the garland.

All of a sudden, she heard a familiar voice.

"Ah, there you are! About time you got here! I've been rhyming for days; it won't stop, I fear. We've got to stop Jack from destroying this place! And I think we must hurry – against time it's a race." All of a sudden a ghost appeared in front of her that made her smile: George Gracey.

"I thought that was you…what's with the rhyming?" Crystal asked. George sighed, and nodded towards the gallery, which slid open. Crystal and the ghost stepped in, and George began to explain.