"Jack, are you sure we should be doing this?" Sally nervously called out to the skeleton, famously known as The Pumpkin King and the leader of Halloween Town. "Remember what happened the last time you left town? What if someone finds a way to reanimate Oogie Boogie, or something else comes up while we're away?"
Jack waved a skeleton hand to reassure the lady to whom he had recently welcomed into his life as his soul mate. "Relax, Sally. Oogie Boogie's gone for good, I'm sure of it. And even if he's not, I doubt he'll try anything as long as he knows I'm around," He turned to face her as they were now walking through the woods that led out of Halloween Town and (to Sally) parts unknown. "Have faith, my dear. This time, I know what I'm doing. We won't be gone for too long."
"And where are we going, Jack?" Sally asked as he took her hand into his own.
The skeleton grinned. "To pay a new friend a visit, and to formally make amends for a terrible misunderstanding."
Sally let out a gasp! She had a pretty good feeling now of what Jack meant. "You mean we're going to-?!"
"-Yes indeed!" Jack proclaimed as the trees slowly began to decrease in number and a clearing appeared ahead. "Now that Christmas is over, I'm sure Sandy Claws… I mean Santa Claus won't mind a visit. Besides, now I can finally show you just what Christmas Town is all about." He soon reached the clearing, and stopped in front of a tree that had a symbol of a finely decorated tree carved on its trunk.
Sally was still a little bit nervous. "Couldn't we go somewhere else, Jack?"
The skeleton chuckled. "Where better to go on our honeymoon than the place that helped bring us together, my dear?" He reached out a hand to the door knob decorated like a shiny bulb. Turning back to Sally, he asked her. "Do you trust me?"
Sally slowly nodded. Now that she was part of Jack's life, she knew she needed to be more confident and let go of some of her worries. She and Jack were together now, and they would face any hardships or challenges in life together. That's what they had vowed to each other when they had gotten married.
Satisfied with Sally's reply, Jack carefully turned the knob and opened the door. There came a sudden gust of cold wind that enveloped him and his wife, pulling them in through the door as it then slammed shut behind them!
For a moment, Jack and Sally spun around as blue light shone all around them! Then, the two were deposited into a bank of snow. Slowly standing up and getting their bearings, they saw a town decorated with bright lights, candy canes, tinsel, and even gumdrops. There was a frozen pond where little people with funny hats were skating on ice, and a miniature train that ran around the side of a mountain.
Sally was amazed at the sights! Christmas Town was so different from Halloween Town. Everything was so vibrant, so colorful, so cheerful. No wonder Jack had been so fascinated by it all the first time he'd seen it.
Jack smiled as he began to make his way down to the town below. "Come, my dear," He said to Sally. "We'll have time for sightseeing after I apologize to Santa."
"Are you sure he'll be home? What if he doesn't want to see us?" Sally questioned as new worries replaced her old ones. Even so, she followed Jack as best she could. Walking in snow was a lot different from walking through leaves or across stone paths, with every step she took she could feel her legs sink into the snow and she had to lift them back out.
The skeleton's smile grew brighter. "I'm sure he can spare a few moments for us. After all, he owes a big thanks to you for keeping Oogie Boogie distracted. It was very brave of you to put yourself in danger like that for someone you didn't even know. And that's just what I've come to admire about you."
Sally followed Jack as the just married couple trekked into Christmas Town. Not surprisingly, they attracted quite a few curious onlookers as various residents of the town all stopped to look at the visitors. Some seemed to be whispering something, though what it was couldn't be positively made out.
Then, the two approached what appeared to be a small castle of sorts. And right next door to it was a large workshop. Resting just off to the side was a large sleigh.
Jack brought a hand up to the door and pressed the doorbell. A tune familiar to him but not to Sally greeted his ears.
Seconds later, the door was opened and out stepped a man instantly recognizable to Jack and Sally thanks to his large beard and bright red suit. Instantly, the man recoiled and jumped back! "Not again! I haven't even begun preparing for next Christmas, it's a whole year away!"
Immediately, Jack threw his arms out and protested. "Oh no no no, Sandy Claws… er, Santa Claus!" He quickly corrected. "I'm not here to kidnap you. In fact, I came here to formally apologize for that mistake on my part."
"Well, Jack, I appreciate the sentiment, but I would much prefer a letter," Santa Claus remarked, before asking. "How did your people back in Halloween Town react to the Christmas snow I brought them?"
Jack happily proclaimed. "Oh, they loved it! I daresay, it's just the thing to liven up the town. Next Halloween will be one to remember, I can guarantee that," Then he cleared his throat. "And that's not all, Santa. The snow helped me to realize something about someone near and dear to me," He gestured to Sally. "You remember Sally, right? She's the one who distracted Oogie Boogie in his lair."
Santa extended a gloved hand out to Sally. "A pleasure to finally know your name, Sally. But why have you come here with Jack?"
Sally managed to smile. "Because, Jack and I are married. Thanks to your Christmas snow, we were finally able to sort out our true feelings and realized that we were meant to be together. We haven't even had a proper wedding yet, or sorted out where I'm going to live. I can't go back to Doctor Finklestein, he doesn't want me anymore."
Jack shook his head. "Nonsense, Sally. I've already talked to him about patching things up. Now that he has a wife and a new servant, he's quite happy to let you do as he pleases," He smiled. "In fact, I'm thinking of asking him to create some skeleton children for us someday. Won't that be nice?"
"Children? Us?" Sally blinked her eyes slowly. "Jack, are you sure? What if they turn out like Oogie's boys?"
"With you helping to raise them, I'm sure that will never happen!" Jack proclaimed. "You've been brave enough as it is these past few days. So I know there's nothing we can't accomplish if we work together," He turned back to Santa. "Sorry if this is all so sudden. But I wanted to thank you and introduce you to Sally while the idea was still fresh in my mind."
Santa smiled. "Well, Jack, I'm glad I could help you out in the end. But if it's all the same to you, I would like to be left alone now. I don't get a lot of days off, you know. Preparing for Christmas is an almost year round thing."
Jack nodded. "Don't I know it. It's the same in Halloween Town. I should probably be getting back before the mayor starts to worry. He's always breathing down my neck about the plans for Halloween every year. And something tells me that won't change just because Sally and I are married now."
"I'll look forward to hearing from you both," Santa replied. "Just remember, Jack, you're the king of Halloween. You have your holiday and I have mine. Our holidays are not meant to mix."
"I'll keep that in mind, Santa," Jack agreed and motioned to Sally. "Come, my dear. We've got a little time to spare before we have to go back to Halloween Town. Let's see all that Christmas Town has to offer." And the two departed, leaving Santa alone.