Fans of Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas will love this free printable Jack Skellington countdown chain. The Pumpkin King himself lends a little bit of holiday magic to the weeks before your departure to the Happiest Place on Earth. 

During Halloween Time festivities at Disneyland, you can meet Jack Skellington and his best friend Sally. The creepy couple are typically stationed in New Orleans Square near the Royal Street Veranda. As with all the popular characters, it is smart to arrive about 5-10 minutes before the scheduled appearance times. You can check with Disney Cast Members as you enter the park to get a schedule of when the characters will be appearing that day. 

On my most recent visit to Disneyland, we were able to speak to a nice Cast Member right on Main Street U.S.A. who filled us in on the best time and place to catch Minnie Mouse. It was incredibly helpful to have the inside tips! So, don't be afraid to ask for help if you really want a chance to meet Jack in person. 

You will notice a Cast Member hovering around in New Orleans Square, typically in the shade, just before Jack and Sally come out for their meet and greet. Linger close to the Cast Member and watch for when they open the line. If you are observant and quick you will get a spot in line! Have your camera ready. Jack Skellington is extremely interactive and fun. His character in the movie is impulsive and likable and his personality really comes through in real life. 

Of course, you can always spirit away to the Haunted Mansion attraction to catch a glimpse of the Pumpkin King Jack Skellington. During Halloween Time, the Haunted Mansion is decorated to feature Jack and the cast from Tim Burton's The Nightmare Before Christmas! It is a crypt-tastic good time. 

The Jack Skellington countdown chain links have four per page. Print them in color onto cardstock paper. 

Note: Each chain links template makes 16 links for your Halloween countdown chain. So, if you want more than 16 days in your countdown, print multiple copies of the template. 

Cut out the Jack Skellington face links. Trim the excess white from the ends.

Cut two black strips of paper and one white strip of paper for every Jack Skellington countdown chain link that you have. The strips should be 1 1/4 inches wide. I used a rotary cutter and a ruler to make cutting the strips very quick and easy! 

Jack Skellington is one classy undead dude. He wears a nice pinstripe suit. Use a white crayon to draw pinstripes onto the black strips of paper. Don't they look sharp?!

Now that all the parts are complete, you can build the Jack Skellington countdown chain. Make a circle with the Jack paper. Overlap the ends and staple them together. 

Thread a black strip through the hole, pinstripes facing out, and staple it into a circle. Add a second black link through and staple it as well. This is his body and then his legs. 

The next part to building the Pumpkin King is to add his bony hands or feet (depending on how you look at it). Add the white strip onto the black link. Continue the pattern until all of your strips are connected. 

You can make your Jack Skellington countdown chain as long or short as you would like!

I thought it would be fun to give Jack a bow tie because his is so awesome in the movie! The movie version looks just like a bat! But, the countdown chain version is just a bow. I am sure you will appreciate the simplicity.

Tie a regular bow with black ribbon. Then cut off the ends to leave just the loopy parts. 

Stick the bow tie onto the Jack Skellington loops just under his face. I used tape. You could also use a glue dot!

The last step is to cut and add the Countdown Before Halloween Time header. There is a version for Disneyland or Disney World! Make sure to pick the right one when you download the free printables.

Cut out the circle from the template. Loop a piece of ribbon through the top link of the chain and then tape it to the back of the header circle. 

You can hang your finished project anywhere you'd like.  Make sure it is somewhere that you can see it on a daily basis. Remove one link of the chain per day. When the links have disappeared, the wait is officially over and the Halloween Time fun can begin!    

Halloween Time at the Disneyland Resort 2017 begins on September 15th and runs through October 31st. From boo-tiful ride overlays to wickedly good treats, your family won't want to miss the festivities. Disney California Adventure will be joining in on the Halloween celebration for the first time ever this year as well. You can find out all about it when you read our article detailing the Halloween changes at Disneyland this year.

There's still time to book your Halloween vacation to experience all the frightful fun! Your wallet won't be scared when you take advantage of our discount Disneyland tickets and reduced hotel rates though. Book any of our Disneyland packages online or by giving our Disney experts a call at 855-GET-AWAY.