The Christmas nutcracker has a famed tradition behind it. There are tales of a young boy frightened by the darkness outside when his father would leave to go mining in the German mountains. His father would carve out wooden soldiers to hold their post and keep fearful things away from the boy. Seeing the success of his venture, the father continued to whittle these soldiers to keep the boy company, and in the boy’s mind, keep him safe. That boy grew up to be a father, and he passed his wooden soldiers down to his son. This is how, many say, we have the nutcrackers of today. Oddly enough, Germany is still one of the largest producers in the world.
Many families make a trek each year to see the Nutcracker Ballet, and upon leaving, their child may ask to have one of their own. This starts, what soon becomes an annual tradition of seeing the ballet and collecting a new Nutcracker character. With all of these collections, how can they be incorporated into other holiday décor? If someone has the characters from the ballet, placing them as a centerpiece on a table or along the fireplace mantle would showcase them well, mixed in with garland of gumdrops and twinkling lights.
With a Christmas nutcracker, one should take into consideration the height of each one to determine its perfect use. If there are ones of multiple heights, placing them among a display of greenery as a dining table centerpiece would be a great conversation piece, particularly if each one has unique sentiment or is from travels abroad. Another decorating idea is for a home that has a staircase that is in a very visible location, like in the entryway or foyer. Place a Christmas nutcracker on every other step and drape pine garland with lights along the railing. This is sure to make a dramatic entry.
