Back in Halloween town, the mayor had found the entrance to Oogie's lair. He was down with caged kings. His two faces repeatedly rotated as he went from cage to cage, unlocking the doors. He seemed very pleased with himself when he finally got the fifth and final cage open.

"Jack!" the mayor called out into the darkness. "I rescued all the holiday leaders!"

---

However, things didn't look so good on jack and the gangs side. They were just entering Christmas town, and it was apparent that Oogie had barged through the area. Smoke filled the air, and all the elves in the area were busy putting everything back together in time for Christmas, which was now hours away. The team watched as the elves finished fixing the giant Christmas tree in the center of the town. But everything else was a wreck.

"Goodness gracious!" exclaimed Sam.

"Wow," said jonesy. "What a dump."

"We have to find sandy!" exclaimed jack.

"And Santa!" added jimmy.

---

The team quickly made their way through town until they reached a tunnel that led to Santa's workshop. Hopefully they weren't too late!

When the team emerged from the other side, two elves were there to greet them. One was dressed in green, the other in red.

"Hello, fellow elves!" said jimmy.

But before anyone could say anything else, they were interrupted by a very unwelcome voice.

"Ho, ho, ha ha ha ha ha ha! Merry Christmas, jack!"

The team winced. This was definitely not good! They looked, and sure enough, the real Oogie Boogie was proudly sitting in Santa's sleigh, laughing hysterically.

"What's Santa doing up there?" the green elf suddenly asked, pointing up.

"What?' asked jonesy.

Jack and the gang looked up and froze. Hanging high above the ground by a rope and a hook was Santa Claus. And he didn't look too happy.

"Put me down this instant!" the not-so-jolly elf yelled.

"SANDY!" yelled jack.

"SANTA!" yelled jimmy. "Me and Caitlin are not in our happy places, guys!" he and Caitlin then began to run around in a panicked circle.

"WHAT THE HELL IS GOING ON HERE?" jonesy shouted.

"Oh dear!" said Sam. "Look! From the tunnel!"

The team (minus jimmy and Caitlin) looked over at the train tunnel. It was definitely a train of Oogie's, but that's not what they were worried about. The rope holding Santa was stretched out across the tracks, and there was a knife on the front of the Oogie train headed straight for it!

"What?" jonesy yelled in exaggeration. "Aw, come on!"

"Ho ho ha ha ha ha ha ha ha!" Oogie bellowed from his seat in Santa's sleigh. "Now then, jack, sandy, what are you two gonna do?" he laughed some more. "This'll be fun to watch! It's payback time!"

"We gotta get him down!" said the red elf. "But how?"

"Sam?' asked jonsey, looking expectantly at his friend.

"Oh, let me solve all our problems," said Sam. He quickly looked around, desperate for an idea. Then something clicked. There were multiple train tracks weaving through the area, each with a lever to change the train's direction.

"Okay, I got it!" Sam exclaimed. "Me and the others will get Santa down safely. Meanwhile, jack, you jimmy and Caitlin will change the direction of the tracks to buy us some time, then stop that train!"

"Got it!" said jack, readying his soul robber.

"JIMMY CAITLIN!" jonesy called to his two friends. "You two are gonna ram the stupid train!"

Jimmy and Caitlin stopped running in a circle and started running straight for the train. "Happy place, happy place, happy place…" they sang as they ran.

The team quickly went to work. The others began to furiously work with the rope holding Santa, while jack jimmy and Caitlin changed the direction of the tracks while pummeling the train. And while the worked, the team found themselves singing. But it was certainly different from the song they sang during their last visit to Christmas town…

Jack: oh no! Oh no!

There's trouble everywhere!

Oh no!

There's smoke clouds in the air!

Oh no! Oh no!

There's something very wrong!

Oh no!

These things here don't belong!

Oh no!

The street are lined with

Little creatures crying

All the others must be hiding

Christmas spirit is subsiding!

Oh no! Oh no!

Jimmy and Caitlin: the joyous decorations here

Jack: are melting from fire!

Jimmy and Caitlin: no doubt the work of Oogie Boogie!

Jack: drat that no good liar!

Sam: there's fear in every window!

Oh, I can't believe my eyes!

Jack: and in my bones I feel the urge

To cut him down to size!

And there! Oh no!

His monsters have control!

Look out!

It chills me to my soul!

No more!

They're gathering the presents to ignite them!

Don't they know whom they are for? Oh no!

He's here! It's all part of his plan!

The nerve!

He's really gone too far!

This time!

Jack and the gang: it's up to us to put a stop to this

Now is our chance we cannot miss!

This town's counting on us!

So we must take charge and let them know!

The time is now

For them to go!

Oh where to start in such a mess!

Oh no!

Jack: oh no, what now?

The peaceful town is ruined!

And look, the Christmas tree is bare!

Attacked! By someone, welcomed fiends!

I tell you I will snare them

And make sure they pay for their outlandish rude behavior…

Oh no!

The cheerfulness is missing

And wonder isn't here!

And in their place there seems to be

A paralyzing fear!

Instead of songs, I swear

I just hear screaming in the air!

The stench of Oogie Boogie

Is absolutely everywhere…

Jack and the gang: the ghosts, the ghouls!

They're everywhere and all around!

I've never felt so sad before!

This happy place in front of us is being trashed

So greedily, so greedily!

It's tragic! Oh, it's tragic

I can't stand and watch it burn!

We've got to save this Christmas town!

And seize these monsters all about! This must stop!

As the team sang "stop," jack jimmy and Caitlin thrust all of their weight into the train. It toppled over onto its side. At the same time, the others gently lowered Santa to the ground.

"We did it!' jonesy cheered.

"Whew! That was close!" said Santa, sighing with relief. But his mood changed as soon as he noticed jack. "What? You again?"

The gang shuddered. Santa had not forgotten about last year.

"Sandy, it's not…" jack tried, but then he sighed in defeat. How was he going to explain what had been happening? "Well, you see…I…I'm truly…"

Seeing that jack was struggling, Sam ran interference. "Santa…" Sam began. "Jack has been out risking his life to save you and the other holiday leaders."

"Yeah, Santa!" said jonesy. "If it wasn't for jack, we wouldn't be here right now, and you probably wouldn't either!"

"Jack's the man!" said jimmy.

Santa's face softened a little at this.

"Guys…" said jack.

"ARRGH!" a disgusted voice interrupted. "Can't anyone perish around here?"

The team turned back to Oogie.

"Oogie!" jack called. "Give back that sleigh!"

"CHRISTMAS HATER!" jimmy shouted.

"Without that sleigh, I can't deliver any presents!" said Santa. "An entire year's worth of preparations will be lost!"

"But good children all around the new world are waiting for Santa!" said the green elf.

"Aw man…" said jonesy.

Suddenly, a new jingling sound filled the air. Everyone looked up.

"Hello again, miss sally!" said jimmy.

"Sally?" asked Sam.

All jonesy could do was laugh. Sally was riding in the same sleigh he and jack had flown last Christmas! "Where'd you find that old thing?" jonesy asked between laughs.

"Sally!" jack called to her.

"Jack!" sally called back. "We have our own sleigh!"

"Yes!" said jonesy. "Now we can go after Oogie!"

"And me and Caitlin can become real elves!" said jimmy.

"No."

The gang looked at jack wide-eyed.

"No?" jonesy repeated.

"But…but jack!" said Sam. "Why?"

"I won't allow it," said jack. "It's too dangerous."

"Dangerous?" asked jimmy.

"That's the sorriest excuse I ever heard!" said jonesy. "If this is "dangerous," what do you call everything else we've gone through?"

"I'm well aware of what else has happened," said jack. "That's why you can't go."

"What, just because we get into jams once or twice, we can't go?" asked Sam. "I know you mean well, jack, but…"

"I'm sorry, but my mind's made up!" said jack. "just stay here and promise me you won't get into anymore trouble!.."

The gang were shocked at how firm jack was being. Especially jonesy. How could jack do this, after everything the team had been through?

"Jonesy, aren't you going to sat something?" asked Sam.

But all jonesy did was lump in defeat. He slowly put his hands behind his back. "Okay, you win, jack," he said. "We'll stay here."

Jonesy's hands, however, told another story. His fingers were crossed behind his back. The others immediately caught on.

"Yes, you win, jack," said sam, also putting his hands behind his back. "We'll cooperate."

"Jimmy and the others shall remain here!" said jimmy, also following suite.

"Good," said jack, satisfied. "I'm glad you guys understand." He then turned to talk to sally and Santa.

But while they weren't looking, jonesy led the others to the Halloween sleigh, and then the gang snuck into the same trunk jonesy hidden in last year.

"Oh, I feel so dirty!" Sam whispered as they got comfortable.

"Those three brats are rubbing off on us," said jimmy.

"Well, what was I supposed to do?" asked jonesy. "Just be lucky that went off without a hitch. If I've learned anything from being with jack, it's that the guy's a total sap!"

"I sure you know what you're doing, jonesy," said Jen.

"Come on!" said jonesy. "Give me a little credit! Have I ever steered you wrong before?"

"Yes," said Sam.

Suddenly, the sleigh gave a lurch. It was taking off!

"Perfect!" jonesy whispered.

"Where are we going?" asked jimmy.

"Probably to the final showdown with Oogie," said Fred.

"Right," said jonesy. "You guys ready for this?"

"Friends till the end!" said jimmy. He held his hand out on top of the others.

"That's the spirit, lumpy!" said jonesy, adding his hand.

Sam sighed. "I am surrounded by ignorance…" he said, but he placed his hands on top of the gang's hands.

"Come on guys," said jonesy. It's time we settled this once and for all."