Bridget

The Brain

It has long been believed that memories were stored in the synapses of neurons. So, when those synapses were destroyed, the memories they held must be lost as well. However, a new study involving marine snails known as Aplysia has found that this might not be the case. If true, this could lead to memory restoration for patients with early onset Alzheimer's. David Glanzman of UCLA was senior author of the paper, which was published in eLife.

It's Christmas, which means it's time for the traditional meal of ... no clear tradition at all. Even if you live in the White House.

"While Thanksgiving's traditional foods are spot-welded onto our cortices, Christmas' menu seems to get a "You Do You" pass every year," Rebecca Orchant of the Huffington Post wrote last year.

Wikipedia's struggle to succinctly summarize American Christmas cuisine drives home the flexible nature of this holiday meal:

The centerpiece of a sit-down meal varies on the tastes of the host but can be ham, roast beef, or goose, particularly since turkey is the mainstay at dinner for the American holiday of Thanksgiving ... Virginia has oysters, ham pie, and fluffy biscuits ... The Upper Midwest includes dishes from predominantly Scandinavian backgrounds such as lutefisk and mashed rutabaga or turnip. In some rural areas, game meats like elk, opossum or quail may grace the table ..."

Nice try, but that sounds about as predictable as any other dinner.

There's no blueprint for a traditional American Christmas dinner — except that it often looks a lot like Thanksgiving dinner with a twist. This is probably why Mental Floss' Adrienne Crezo, when she sifted through the White House Cookbook and digital archives to dig up Christmas dinner menus, came up with a list that included, in addition to turkey, just about every kind of protein (including a lot of oysters), and several dishes that simply defied categorization. Here's how a handful of presidents throughout history have done the holiday meal.

Barack Obama

(Getty Images)

One year, the Obamas went for steak — definitely not on anyone's list of traditional Christmas fare. They've also gone somewhat more predictable, with a meal of turkey, string beans and dressing, with a heavy focus on macaroni and cheese. In 2012, the first lady told Today correspondent Jenna Bush Hager, "This is the time when I throw ‘Let's Move' out the window for a moment, and get that mac and cheese. Everybody deserves their mac and cheese."

What's "Let's Move"?(Shutterstock)

George W. Bush

In 2007, the Bushes met up at Camp David and ate a pretty simple meal: turkey, dressing, green beans, sweet potatoes, fruit salad, rolls, and pumpkin and pecan pies. But they put a twist on dessert: red velvet cake.

Few people would argue with this addition. (Shutterstock)

Bill Clinton

In 1993, the Clintons ate both turkey and ham, two kinds of stuffing, and a few other predicable sides. But there was also sort of a gelatinous/fruity theme: they had a cranberry mold and ambrosia.

Oh, and don't forget the olives.

Maybe they were there for color? (Shutterstock)

As a bonus, there was a not-exactly classic Christmas presentation of a relish tray with green onions and watermelon pickles.

Richard Nixon

Thanksgiving, round II. (Shutterstock)

In 1973, the Nixons gathered with just a few family and friends, some turkey, dressing, pumpkin pie, and cranberry sauce — basically, Thanksgiving dinner, again —  but they're excused. After all, the president had a lot going on at the time.

Dwight D. Eisenhower

In 1960, the first family's dinner included a 42-pound turkey ... and an entire gallon of oysters.

That's a lot. (Shutterstock)

Harry S. Truman

The Trumans apparently skipped the rolls in keeping with the national food conservation program in 1947. But, they made up for the absence of bread with some unique additions. Like tomato consommé. And curled celery.

Franklin Delano Roosevelt

For the first Christmas since combatants had been sent to fight in World War II, the first family — along with guest of honor Winston Churchill — had a slightly pared-down menu that included turkey and dressing, potatoes, but also some apparently Great Depression-themed sides: "clear soup" and "thin toast. Festive.

Teddy Roosevelt

Live animals! Merry Christmas! (Shutterstock)

In 1907, in addition to whatever else the Roosevelts were planning for their Christmas feast, they reportedly received a shipment from Helen Longstreet, a postmistress in Gainesville, Georgia. After hand-feeding a pair of possums for months — "mostly persimmons" — Longstreet delivered them to the White House in a box inscribed with "These o'possums surrendered near the Wren's Nest, Atlanta, both contending smilingly for the honor of furnishing the Christmas dinner for the American Prince and his family."

Grover Cleveland

In 1887, Grover Cleveland and his family ate a very hearty and eclectic meal that included:

• Oysters on the half shell
• Game soup
• Boiled fish
• Roast goose
• Lobster salad

• Duck
• Plum pudding
• Vanilla ice cream
• Mince pie
• Salted almonds

George Washington

The  first president went with the "eat everything" concept, too. In 1790, his family was served turkey, ham, stuffing, beef, Yorkshire pudding, and variety of vegetables. This probably would have been sufficient, but then they also had all this:

• Onion soup

• Oysters (again!)
• Broiled herring

Nothing says 'holiday" like broiled fish. (Shutterstock)

• Roast suckling pig
• Jellied plums
• Snowballs

No word on what exactly "snowballs" are. They may have never been seen at the White House before or again, for all we know.  Bottom line: If you want to have Christmas dinner like a president, eat whatever the hell you want.

Her art only lasts a matter of seconds. Brazilian artist Nele Azevedo has been labeled a street artist, sculptor, and monument designer best known for her "melting men". Her ice sculptures of thousands of faceless tiny people have been staged on stairways all over the world. They are part of her "Minimum Monument" Project, or anti-monument as she sometimes calls it, an ongoing series that has toured to Brazil, Havana, Tokyo, Paris, Firenze and Berlin since 2001.

This post originally appeared on VICE Netherlands

Every year around 40 new research chemicals are introduced to the market. These are then tried and tested by drugs nerds, psychonauts, and vendors hoping to have a new hit on their hands. While some of these drugs are created as an experiment to see what chemicals can do to your consciousness, most are simply brought onto the market because they're not listed as illegal yet.

These drugs are often sold as " research chemicals," as they're meant to be used in a laboratory. In reality, most of that research is done in bedrooms and basements by (generally young) people who willingly turn themselves into lab rats and describe their experiences online for the benefit of drug curious strangers. Each experiences carries with it some level of risk; often these aforementioned lab rats will have to blindly trust the vendor and pray to God that they don't die in a puddle of their own vomit.

To make this list, we talked to designer drug reviewers, analyzed the drugs with the help of Google Trends, and browsed different forums. Then we decided on the following drug awards of 2014.

The winners:

*Most innovative drug of 2014*

LSZ

[body_image width='160' height='160' path='images/content-images/2014/12/17/' crop='images/content-images-crops/2014/12/17/' filename='designer-drugs-2014-876-body-image-1418835164.png' id='12110']

Category: Psychedelics (like shrooms)
On the market since: Mid 2013, but didn't get popular until 2014.
Why it exists: A lot of people feel that an LSD trip takes up too much of their time (12 hours). LSZ only lasts eight hours, so the makers of this drug really took the wishes of users into account. Additionally, LSD is still illegal, but LSZ is not.
What does it do? It creates a lot of visuals, but it can take a while before those start to show. Whether or not users trip or not also depends on the dosage. Not everyone's happy with it; some users call it a poor imitation of LSD. But maybe that's exactly what other users want and maybe that's exactly what LSZ is.
Reviewers say: "40 min after it started working, I was building a tent with strings of Christmas lights and 7 speakers."

*Most obscure drug of 2014*

5-DBFPV

Category: Stimulants
On the market since: Summer 2013. There's not a lot of info available about the drug, and only a few people have tried it. It is likely one of the many stimulants to hit the market that came from labs in China. For some reason there's a big demand for stuff that keeps users awake but also has a mildly trippy effect.
What does it do? It is comparable to MDPV, commonly known as "bath salts"—but more potent. It makes you euphoric and lasts for a couple of hours. There is a chance you'll get a painful headache once the effect wears off though, and the urge to keep taking more is often quite strong.
Reviewers say: "Oh China, what will you come up with next!"

*Fastest riser of 2014*

3,4-ctmp

Category: Stimulants
On the market since: Late 2012, but was the most searched for drug on one of the main drug forums this year.
Why it exists: You need a prescription for Ritalin, and this drug isn't illegal yet. That probably explains why it's so popular. Its competition is ethylphenidate, another substitute for Ritalin that has been around longer.
What does it do? It keeps people awake. The effects last about eight hours, but many recreational users have derided the drug as being too boring.

*The newest drug of 2014*

3-Fluorophenmetrazine (3-FPM)
Category: Stimulants
On the market since: November 2014, making it the newest drug that's available online.
Why it exists: This is an updated version of the phenmetrazine from the 1950s, a drug that was used by both John Lennon and Jack Ruby, who was on it when he shot Lee Harvey Oswald. That drug is illegal, 3-FPM isn't (yet).
What does it do? It's a white powder that tastes salty, and its effects are not unlike caffeine: It gives users lots of energy, and makes them clear-headed and talkative. Snorting it is effective, but...
Reviewers say: "It stings so bad, my left eye teared up. God damn ninjas cutting onions!"

*The biggest loser of 2014*

5-EAPB

Category: Empathogens (like MDMA)
On the market since: 5-EAPB has been around for a few years, but was banned in the UK in June 2014. Since then it has become significantly less popular.
What does it do? The effect is like MDMA or 5-MAPB, but not as good. It's a light stimulant that gives you dry mouth and huge pupils, but it can also be snorted. Users have to be extremely careful with the dosage, because a number of reviews mention that they've had the worst experiences of their life on this. It's dangerous, and now illegal as well. 5-EAPB died an early death, just like some of its users.
Reviewers say: "I saw myself in the reflection of the windows, and I looked like an utter mess, shaking all over, profusely sweating, pupils dilated to all hell, decided it was not best for me to go into the store, so I told her I would wait in the car."

Honorable mentions

These drugs came out this year or became popular this year, but didn't make the cut. They are worth a mention though, because they show how drugs have developed in 2014. No, not drugs—research chemicals, of course. Not for human consumption. So don't take any.

βk-2C-B

Category: Psychedelics
On the market since: βk-2C-B was introduced in October 2013 and remained very popular throughout 2014.
What does it do? It is very similar to its big brother 2C-B, which means it has a light psychedelic shroomy effect combined with the speediness and euphoria of MDMA. The effect seems to last longer than 2C-B – between 11 and 12 hours – but seems to be a bit milder when it comes to euphoria and visuals. The comedown can be very intense.
Reviewers say: "Saw a person who blamed his purple snot on this."

Flubromazolam

Category: Benzos
On the market since: August 2014
Why it exists: These kinds of drugs are used as sleeping pills or as sedatives to relax after an intense trip. It is the main rival of Etizolam, an older drug that was incredibly popular this year.
What does it do? The drug has a hypnotizing effect and relaxes users' muscles. It does last for eight hours, but that is less than most of the drugs that are similar.
Reviewers say: "U have to know whatya doing. I got a huge headache and some memory loss ;) but I drank 3 bottles of wine, yeah."

a-php

Category: Stimulants
On the market since: a-php was introduced in early 2014 and became increasingly popular in the summer.
Why it exists: More and more countries started banning bath salts—meaning MDPV, the drug that was all over the news. Chemists started looking for a drug that had similar effects, and ended up with a-php.
What does it do? It's hard to eat or sleep, but users feel euphoric, become very productive, and won't stop talking. Long-term use can cause nervousness and paranoia.

thj-018 and thj-2201

Category: Cannabinoids
On the market since: Late 2014
Why it exists: For people who want to get stoned but are too lazy to find a dealer, these synthetic cannabinoids offer a legal high. The downside of this stuff is that a lot of it is junk, and it's often unclear what the risks may be.
What does it do? It's a synthetic cannabinoid in powder form that makes you feel spaced out, chilled, and carefree for about two hours. thj-2201 is a lot more potent than thj-018.

Methoxphenidine

Category: Disassociates (like ketamine)
On the market since: Although it was patented in 1989, it didn't hit the market until December 2013.
Why it exists: Its predecessor MXE will probably be illegal in most places soon, forcing chemists to look for something that isn't blacklisted yet.
What does it do? The exact effects are unclear—the only thing that's certain is that it is one of the few new drugs that were actually developed in a real lab. That lab also confirmed what the amateurs suspected: It's a lot like PCP, a classic that dates back to the 1960s. It is very potent stuff that users must be extremely careful with.

Top 10 Electronic-Music Albums of 2014 by Dave Segal

10. Bitchin Bajas, Bitchin Bajas (Drag City)

9. Actress, Ghettoville (Werkdiscs/Ninja Tune)

8. Cut Hands, Festival of the Dead (Blackest Ever Black)

7. Paul White, Shaker Notes (R&S)

6. Ekoplekz, Unfidelity (Planet Mu)

5. Aphex Twin, Syro (Warp)

4. Hieroglyphic Being, The Seer of Cosmic Visions (Planet Mu)

3. R. Seiliog, In Hz (Turnstile)

2. Jo Johnson, Weaving (Further)

1. Objekt, Flatland (PAN)

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infectecl:

I JUST REALIZED SHE IS SINGING INTO A VIBRATOR

amovible:

autostralianchristmas:

For the past six months since our house flooded, my friends have been taking care of my gecko. They just texted this to me.

arkgoz

this is not my work, but it must be shared so we may be in awe. the lovely Chris P. Got this as a gift from his byootiful frind Patty C. yoo guys, THIS IS AMAZING. #drunkjcrew

The news: In a vaguely suspicious Christmas Eve news dump, the National Security Agency released reports Wednesday night that detailed intelligence collection practices that violated the law over more than a decade, including unauthorized surveillance of Americans' overseas communications. 

The heavily redacted documents were released in response to a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union under the Freedom of Information Act. Read More

It was 77 degrees in LA today which is what qualifies as Christmas here. Who needs a white Christmas, the sprawling city of Los Angeles sure doesn't need pea coats or functional (not fashionable) scarves or snow shovels or visible breath to celebrate Christmas. Paddle boards and a beach will do just fine.

Read more...

cockchomp:

raphmike:

I HAVE WAITED ALL YEAR TO POST THIS

THE ONLY CHRISTMAS MOVIE THAT MATTERS

Sleep. pffft.

nashvillesocommittee:

Cop who shot Antonio Martin did not call for an ambulance but for crowd control.

Cops refuse to let Antonio Martin’s mother go to him while he lay dying on the ground.

How long do federal investigations take? Can we speed the fuck up with the Mike Brown and Eric Garner ones so we can get to this one, and then whichever one happens next week and the week after that until the earth just opens up and swallows us all? Actually, if we could just skip to that part I’d kind of be okay with it. Fuck

kateordie:

taylorswift:

rainbowveins00:

superaunaturelle:

It’s over

YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES YES

I KNEW IT

Thank you lord jaysus

DAMN RIGHT

Tired of cheer? Misanthropes, rejoice. A Tumblr user has been collecting actual quotes from Werner Herzog (director of Cave of Forgotten Dreams and many other films) and styling them into inspirational posters completely devoid of any inspiration.

(Werner Herzog Inspirationals)

Head over to Werner Herzog Inspirationals for more of them — and check back frequently. Its creator seems to be posting a new one roughly each day.

According to the basic tenets of feminism, women have the freedom to make their own choices and to control their own bodies. But as any woman who has read the Internet knows, women's toughest critics can be — you guessed it — other women.

Why do women do this? And specifically, why do they do so in the name of "feminism"? 

If the year of Social Media Outrage has proven anything, it's that women were under intense scrutiny, thanks in large part to the confluence of voices on the Web. Raven-Symoné, Laverne Cox, Lena Dunham and Taylor Swift are few of many female celebrities and thought leaders who were heavily criticized for not conforming to mainstream views concerning race, gender expression and sexual identity. 

The "trashing" phenomenon. Coined by Joreen Freeman in Ms. Read More

latenightseth:

So Kanye West just signed our production coordinator’s framed embroidered Kanye tweet.

"Tryouts: Chapter 3" #drunkjcrew #holidaycatalogue @drunkjcrewuguys  

Chapter 1  Chapter 2

A Christmas Classic

via http://t.co/w3B4iabJ

Mary Oliver, “When Death Comes”

Trypophobia is the pathological fear of irregularly shaped holes. If looking at sponges, beehives, and raw meat makes you squirm, please look away. Colin Christian exploits people's innate discomfort with porous organic matter in his new work for his January 3 solo show, "Trypophobia" at Stephen Romano Gallery in Brooklyn. While Christian's doll-like sculptures have been featured on our blog many times, this is his most grotesque body of work yet. Toothy holes gnaw at the silicone flesh of his large-scale characters as if an alien parasite has invaded their bodies. Some of the sculptures feature close-ups of festering skin, which Christian displays in a medical fashion. He is clearly unafraid to repulse viewers with this exhibit.

It's last-minute holiday shopping time: sales, sales, and crazy sales. And to many people, these sales are terrific. To Joseph Ferrari, it's a terrible sign that our culture is encouraging procrastination, to our overall detriment.

When Ferrari started studying procrastination in the 1980s, there was almost nothing published on the topic. Since then, psychologists have learned all kinds of things, like what parenting style leads to more procrastinators (authoritarian) and what personality traits are related to procrastination (lower conscientiousness). They've even learned that procrastinators feel especially removed from the self that they envision living in the future someday. Researchers have also been coming up with strategies to help people change their procrastinating ways.

I talked to Ferrari, a professor at DePaul University, about how our culture rewards last-minute action and how that might ever change:

Susannah Locke: For the chronic procrastinator, what’s the data on the negative effects it has on their lives?

Joseph Ferrari: All the data shows it’s maladaptive. Chronic procrastinators have low self-esteem, low self-worth. They are high on self-consciousness, high on self-handicapping. Experimentally, they handicap, they do worse, and they know it too. That’s an experiment we did. Procrastinators were poorer in self-regulation, and they knew that they were poor in this, as well. And relationships suffer. So there’s nothing positive.

The health research finds that they get sick more often. They have more headaches and more gastrointestinal problems. So why? Is it the procrastination? No, it’s probably the worry that goes along with this. So there are health implications, there are social implications, there are personal implications. And all of those are based on the data.

SL: How do our culture's attitudes about earliness make procrastination worse?

JF: We need to start, as a culture, rewarding the early bird. That old expression, "The early bird gets the worm"? We don’t do that anymore. Today we want to give everyone a piece of the worm, slice it and dice it, and make sure nobody gets offended and everybody gets the same piece, same size.

People say, Okay, that’s the date you want it, but you know what, when do you really want it? When’s the drop-dead deadline? If you think about that, it’s a very insulting comment, because what that is saying is you believe the person was lying to you when they said they need it by deadline X.

SL: What kinds of things in our culture eventually lead to things like "drop-dead deadlines"?

JF: Why do you have to get 80 percent off Christmas Eve? What we should be doing is saying, "No. Thanksgiving: 80 percent. And then less and less and less and less. And you wanna shop Christmas Eve? Absolutely, but there’s going to be a 25 percent surcharge for waiting for the last minute."

Why should I send my government a tax check before April 15 if I owe money? The government, instead of [giving] you a penalty on April 16, should be saying, "Send it to me February 15, and you take 4 percent off what you owe. Give it to me March 15 — 2 percent."

[Procrastinators] will change when we stop letting them off the hook. But this is going to take a mind change, a social change. We have to let people know you pay more for that last-minute airline ticket. You don’t get the best deals unless you buy it earlier.

SL: Stores must have good economic reasons for offering these sales, though. Why would a retailer want to give up last-minute Christmas deals?

JF: If [shoppers] buy the gift earlier, well, then the retailers get their money earlier. They can restock if they run out. There’s less panic at the end. There’s a lot of reasons why. But, no. What do people say? I’m gonna wait. And you know what, give me a gift card, and I’ll go after Christmas. And I’ll get 85 percent off.

SL: From a practical standpoint, do you really think the culture can change last-minute rewards? That’s a huge thing.

JF: It is a huge thing, and — this is going to sound trite, maybe — but articles like yours where we can really get the true information out there will change it. Now, look, 20 percent of people are chronic [procrastinators]. That means 80 percent of us are not. And so are we ever going to get that 20 percent down to zero? No. But can we cut into that a little? Sure.

The question is what do we do with the 80 percent — the 80 percent who procrastinate sometimes. If you’re the occasional procrastinator, yes, there are things you can do. Surround yourself with people who are doers. People who are into social media, publicly post what you’re going to do so you’re held accountable by other people.

As a culture, we should reward people for getting those taxes and the shopping done earlier. You’ll probably still have 15, 20 percent who will wait to do their taxes, but if we can get that 80 percent to do it earlier, that’s a huge success.

SL: Those last-minute sales seem like a business model that’s going to be difficult to go against. But maybe on the everyday level — teachers, managers, friends, spouses — it seems like there are some things there that individual people can do.

JF: I agree, but I think that we can change the others. Teachers are a good example. What teachers need to do is reward the student who hands that assignment in early.

SL: Why is reward a better strategy than punishment?

JF: Because we like incentives. It becomes an incentive that I can work for. Twenty percent of those students, they’re gonna wait. But if I have 100 students, if I can get 80 of them to give it to me earlier, then I only have 20 to read on the last day. That makes my life a lot easier. And I use this, and it works. Why? Because we like incentives. I’m not saying, "Reward for doing it." I’m saying, "Reward for doing it early."

This interview, which was originally published on December 24, 2014, has been condensed and lightly edited for length and clarity.

Further reading:

• Why your brain loves procrastination, a discussion with Tim Pychyl on how some psychologists see procrastination as an emotional coping mechanism
• How procrastinators treat their future selves like strangers
• Still Procrastinating: The No Regrets Guide to Getting It Done, a book by Joseph Ferrari

dailyotter:

Curious Otter Gets Really Close to the Camera

More at today’s Daily Otter post, via Beginners Blog Otter

It’s Christmas time. Wreaths upon doors. Presents wrapped and under the tree. Songs of peace on earth and good will towards men. So … let’s talk about cultural appropriation! And kids movies!

The Nightmare Before Christmas came out over twenty years ago; and while I’m quite sure others have made this connection, it was only this Halloween (while a cover of “What’s This?” popped up on Pandora) that I realized Jack Skellington’s choices are an allegory for the real life appropriation of other cultures.

In case there’s any confusion over the term, law professor Susan Scafidi has defined “cultural appropriation” as “Taking intellectual property, traditional knowledge, cultural expressions, or artifacts from someone else’s culture without permission.” She goes on to say, “This can include unauthorized use of another culture’s dance, dress, music, language, folklore, cuisine, traditional medicine, religious symbols, etc. It’s most likely to be harmful when the source community is a minority group that has been oppressed or exploited in other ways or when the object of appropriation is particularly sensitive, e.g. sacred objects.”

Despite what some news programs will tell you about us being in a post-racist world, examples of cultural appropriation in the new millennium pop up all the time, most often used for “creative expression.” From Gwen Stefani recently defending her Harajuku Girls stereotypes, to Pharell wearing a Native American headdress during an Elle shoot, to Katy Perry’s ongoing stereotyping of black people in her videos. It’s certainly not just celebrities that do this — every October we see pictures from Halloween parties of racist costumes pulling from gross stereotypes/cheap imitations of real traditions and wearing them for a joke. Then there’s that Washington football team, Urban Outfitters using fake Navajo designs on their clothes (including the “Navajo hipster panty”), this recent bit of bad taste from Ralph Lauren, and countless designer fashion shoots that, like the Elle shoot, have used Native American headdresses.

With all of these, it comes down to repackaging and misrepresenting that culture, often for your own gain. Quite frankly, it’s a shitty thing to do whether you realize you’re doing it or not. So with that in mind, now let’s talk about how that happens in A Nightmare Before Christmas. (And just a note: I am a white woman and am certainly not the absolute authority on this subject. I encourage readers of color to add other examples of cultural appropriation to the comments because I know that my examples above are just a handful of many.)

Jack starts the movie uninspired. While everyone else in Halloween Town is ecstatic with that year’s Halloween extravaganza, their Pumpkin King has grown bored of his aesthetic. Of course then Jack wanders off, discovers Christmas Town, and is overjoyed to discover what is surrounding him. “What’s This?” is arguably the least spooky, least Halloween-sounding song in the whole movie, because he’s embraced the Christmas spirit so thoroughly. Now, he still doesn’t go and talk to anyone in this new place (which I always questioned as a kid because that alone could have possibly prevented so many of the disasters that come later), but he does fall in love with all these new things that inspire him.

However, when he goes back to his own town and brings back some of the Christmas-y things he’s found, he has difficulty explaining to his fellow Halloween creatures what each thing does and why it’s so wonderful. Nearly all of his subjects pipe up during the song to comment that it seems strange or to put it into the context of what they know. Jack knows that Christmas is not like Halloween and that it shouldn’t be like Halloween, but he doesn’t know how to put it into words. Finally, he “gives them what they want” and describes Santa Claus in a palatable way for the Halloween Town citizens; namely, that Santa is a demon with actual claws.

Up until this point, Jack doesn’t believe his own hype – but because he’s an artist and wants to figure out how to make something Christmasy like Christmas Town, he starts experimenting with the stuff he brought back. He spends days up in his room trying to come up with what makes Christmas so amazing, dissolving ornaments and making equations; and while he’s fascinated by it, he still comes back to, “But what does it all mean?” Jack has bits and pieces of what Christmas looks like, but he has no context for what actually makes Christmas what it is. Because of that, his experiments fail and he’s left frustrated by the whole process. It’s during the song “Jack’s Obsession” that he starts trying to reason with himself why he can’t figure this out. Instead of considering the possibility that the problem is with how he’s going about it, he decides the clear answer is that Christmas is inferior and it’s up to him to make it better. The song ends with:

You know, I think this Christmas thing
It’s not as tricky as it seems
And why should they have all the fun?
It should belong to anyone

Not anyone, in fact, but me
Why, I could make a Christmas tree
And there’s no reason I can find
I couldn’t handle Christmas time

I bet I could improve it too
And that’s exactly what I’ll do

And hence the iconic moment in the movie when bursts open the doors and shouts, “Eureka! This year, Christmas will be ours!”

From there we start to really see cultural appropriation come into play. The entirety of the “Making Christmas” montage highlights how one culture can cheapen another’s through careless imitation. They’re doing the standard making of the presents, wrapping the gifts, and getting the sleigh ready, but they’re “improving” it all by making it scary and gory. The similarities to fashion companies faking traditional tribal designs (but twisting them to be trendy) are apt. There’s a sense of entitlement here; entitlement and arrogance. The only person in town who questions all of it is Sally. Even though she’s nervous around the man she has feelings for, Sally tries her best to reason with Jack, but he doesn’t listen to her warnings.

And then we get to Christmas Eve and the ultimate appropriation of Christmas — literally stealing Santa. Of course, Jack doesn’t see it as kidnapping him. No, to Jack this is showing Santa all the good work they did and surprising him with a gift. Jack explains that they’re doing Santa a favor — “Consider it a vacation!” He never stops to think how he forced Santa there and gives him no opportunity to refuse the idea. No no, in Jack’s mind this is all how it should be, and he clearly knows best. It once again comes down to arrogance that he can clearly do this Christmas thing not only just as well, but better, by making it more like his stuff, with no communication with anyone from Christmas Town.

Of course, when this all backfires completely and Jack is left with his project in burning shambles around him, he has the good sense to realize he’s at fault for all of it. And being the hero of the story, he of course makes things right by saving Santa and Sally from Oogie Boogie’s clutches. With Boogie defeated, Jack apologizes earnestly to Santa for messing this all up. And Santa… is still pissed. And it’s great. He is clearly put out and doesn’t cheerily wave off the whole experience. Because like marginalized people when their cultures are appropriated, it’s not Santa’s responsibility to be tactful when dealing with someone who kidnapped him, disrespected his work, and then nearly got him killed. His snippy reaction is absolutely appropriate for the situation.

There is a sense that, after Santa fixes Jack’s messes and saves Christmas, Jolly Old Saint Nick does accept Jack’s apology as he calls out “Happy Halloween” to Jack and makes it snow in Halloween Town. This moment is important because it’s the first time someone from Christmas Town actually shares something Christmasy with Jack and the others — before this, it’s all about stealing away bits and pieces without Santa or his elves knowing. Suddenly, Jack’s fellow Halloween citizens start to “get” Christmas, indicated by the reprisal of Jack’s “What’s This?” song. The movie ends with everyone embracing this little bit of Christmas in a sincere way.

Now, there is a big difference between The Nightmare Before Christmas and actual examples of cultural appropriation — while Santa Claus is generally upset and annoyed by Jack’s bad choices, real world cultural appropriation tends to happen to people whose cultures have already been historically abused and exploited, particularly through colonialism. It perpetuates nasty, long-held stereotypes connected to those abuses, dehumanizes people who have already been treated badly, and is most often committed by people of privilege. So those aspects of appropriation are obviously not in the film.

However, The Nightmare Before Christmas is still a good allegory for the general idea of cultural appropriation. It’s one of the few pieces of mainstream kids media that brings up the concept. While certainly you can and should point to real life events to explain appropriation, this film is a good way to ease kids (and some adults) into understanding it and then applying the idea to those real life examples.

But I think what I like best is that the message of the movie isn’t that you should avoid learning about cultures outside your own. No, the lesson is to see how Jack went about it the wrong way and realize how he could have done it better. If you’re going to learn about other people’s cultures and traditions, approach it from a place of respect. Go to the people who live that life and treat them as the experts. Listen to others if they say you’re stepping over your bounds. Show humility. Ask questions in a respectful way. Don’t try to “improve” cultural elements just because that’s easier than understanding it fully. Above all, practice empathy. And that’s a pretty good lesson for us at any age.

Happy holidays, everyone.

Katie Schenkel (@JustPlainTweets) is a copywriter by day, pop culture writer by night. Her loves include cartoons, superheroes, feminism, and any combination of the three. Her reviews can be found at CliqueClack and her own website Just Plain Something, where she hosts the JPS podcast and her webseries Driving Home the Movie. She’s also a frequent The Mary Sue commenter as JustPlainSomething.

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