Oogie Boogie

“What should we do today?”

"I just thought of an idea. Have you done Jack Skellington?”

“Actually, no I haven’t.” He finally got brave enough to watch The Nightmare Before Christmas recently. We have all our movies loaded up digitally and available to play instantly via our Apple TV.  For a long while he avoided the movie worried the grim story and sinister characters would scare him. It was probably the right choice. Now that we watched it together as a family, he really enjoyed it.

“Actually, Mr. Oogie Boogie,” he said changing his mind. He's been watching clips of the movie on YouTube with special interest in Oogie’s signature song where he repeats the line, "You're jokin'.” He’s learned it almost all the way through. He sings it with great inflection and characterization. The kid has got quite the engaging personality, especially when he gets into character. I’ve often wondered how popular he might be as a child actor on TV. He’s got the charisma for sure, but I’m not sure he’d follow anyone’s direction but his own.

We picked an option quickly. I felt focussed today and had plenty of time to work since I didn't have to make lunch. Today is his Valentine’s Day party so his class is having a big celebration with food and sweets. He sat next to me working on his Valentine’s Day cards. He was bringing SpongeBob valentines for the boys and cute dogs and cats valentines for the girls.

After some time showing rare focus on his task, he looked over and said, "Oh you're done. Lemme see.” He studied it and said with a huge smile, "Oh niiice!”

Looking over at his valentines, I couldn't help but think that Oogie Boogie is an odd choice for Valentines Day.