Have You Considered Decorating the Christmas Tree with a Nutcracker Theme?

Nutcrackers were originally created by woodcarvers in the heavily wooded countryside of Germany. These backwoods craftsmen would whittle nutcrackers and other figures to sell, particularly within the Ore Mountains and in the southern area of Sonneberg. The making of nutcrackers began at least as long ago as the 15th century, and perhaps even longer. They became increasingly popular after E.A. Hoffman published The Nutcracker and the Mouse King in the early 1800s, which was the basis for the famous ballet The Nutcracker featuring the music of Tchaikovsky, first produced in 1892.

Traditional nutcracker ornaments come in a variety of “characters”, including kings, soldiers, drummers, and knights. These ornaments are now made of a variety of materials besides wood, including silver, porcelain, resin and glass. These functional figures are typically almost uniform in width from head to toe, except for the arms. They generally feature tall hats or crowns and bold colors, with black, gold, and/or white accents. The faces of traditional nutcracker ornaments often feature a mustache above the tall flap mouth, somewhat like that of a ventriloquist’s dummy, where the nut is placed for cracking. This flap may also be decorated with a beard or either black or white.

Nutcracker ornaments make an excellent theme for a Christmas tree for several reasons. They are usually painted with festive holiday colors; they are easy to find and come in a variety of sizes, shapes, and characters; they are associated with Christmas because of the story and the ballet; nuts are a common snack food found at Christmas time, so a nutcracker ornament and a bag of nuts in their shells is a popular gift.

Filed under: Nutcracker Ornaments

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