Halloween has officially arrived at Disneyland, and one of the best parts about the park at this time of year is the major transformation of the Haunted Mansion ride into its Nightmare Before Christmas theme. This may be a controversial opinion, but, personally, I love how festive and fun the Haunted Mansion becomes for the Halloween and holiday season, much more than when it's just a standard spooky ride.
It's vibrantly and creatively decorated (seriously, Disney doesn't miss a single detail), puts you in a happy Halloween and holiday mood, and has you humming the catchy songs from The Nightmare Before Christmas for the rest of the day. How could you choose the classic over that? Once you've been on Haunted Mansion holiday, the original ride just feels . . . boring. To prove my point, here are the best things about the themed version!
1. A spooky scarecrow greets you in line. 
2. The creepily creative signage is everywhere you look. 
3. The mansion is completely transformed for the better. 
The pumpkins, the garland — everything is a perfect blend of Christmas and Halloween, and the mansion never looks better than when it's dressed up for the holidays.
4. The decor is all so well done! 
5. There's a countdown to Xmas. 
6. Jack Skellington's massive Christmas notes hang off the side of the mansion. 
7. Even the carriage gets a holiday makeover. 
8. The pathway inside has hidden holiday details. 
Like these "ho ho ho" lights.
9. All the transforming art becomes Nightmare Before Christmas themed. 
10. The scene where you get on the Doom Buggies is breathtaking. 
It's so over the top! You barely have time to take it all in before you get on your Doom Buggy.
11. Everything glows vibrantly. 
12. Like the snake with Santa's naughty and nice list. 
13. The fortune teller scene has a fun holiday theme. 
Floating Halloween ornaments join the scene along with a tree of lights.
14. The wreaths have quite the bite to them. 
15. Zero gets his own bone-filled scene. 
16. The ballroom smells like gingerbread! 
17. The Hatbox Ghost has holiday flair. 
18. Jack Skellington welcomes you into the graveyard scene. 
19. Sally is there, too! 
20. The ghostly angels are an impressive sight in the graveyard. 
21. The giant snowy mountain of jack-o'-lanterns makes the graveyard even cooler (pun intended). 
22. The jack-o'-lanterns even sing. 
23. Oogie Boogie has a starring role as you finish the ride. 
24. Sally waves goodbye at the end — now time to get back in line! 
"Hurry back, be sure to bring your Sandy Claws sack!"
