A few nights ago, after decorating Finn’s bedroom for Christmas, he and I were laying on his bed and he asked me a question about nutcrackers.
We had just gotten his collection of nutcrackers out and added a new one for this year. I buy my boys a new nutcracker each year. He was playing with one of the nutcrackers mouths and asked why their mouths opened and closed like that. I went into a full explanation of how nuts come in shells, and how they need to be cracked open to get to the part you eat inside. The nutcrackers used to be strong enough to do that, but now they were just a Christmas decoration.
He had never seen a nut in a shell! My how times have changed. I can’t remember a holiday when I was a kid, that my grandparents and parents, didn’t have a fancy dish full of nuts and a metal nut cracker. We always loved cracking the nuts as kids to eat ourselves or give to others. How hard you had to squeeze the tool, how our hands weren’t big enough to grab both sides for a really big nut. That satisfying sound as the nut started to crack and you knew you had done it!
So Finn and I went online to find a picture of a metal nutcracker and some nuts in their shells in an effort to learn more about these colorful wooden decorations. We knew it was a Christmas tradition, but knew very little about where it had originated.
Nutcracker dolls, as most of us know them, are decorative wooden figures, often resembling a toy soldier, painted in bright festive colors. They have large square mouths with bright large white teeth, that open by using the lever on their backs. It is an image we are used to, but for someone seeing it for the first time, it could be a bit frightening!
Can’t get enough about nutcrackers? Visit the Nutcracker Museum!
The original nutcracker was created in the late 17th century in Germany, with the purpose of cracking nuts. They were often carved out of wood since wood was an abundant resource. In German tradition and some folk lore, they were symbols of good luck to your family, and protection for your home. They are said to represent power and strength, serving like a watchdog guarding your family against danger.
A nutcracker bares its teeth to evil spirits and serves as a messenger of good luck and good will. They were often given as gifts with this meaning behind them.
The nutcrackers remained a European doll, but found their way to America after the second World War. American soldiers brought Nutcrackers back as souvenirs when the war was over. That increased their popularity along with Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker ballet, an adaptation of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s story of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King.
It is unclear when they became associated and a symbol of Christmas, but many believe it started with the ballet. In England, they call Halloween night Nutcrackers night!
Today you see nutcrackers in all shapes, sizes, colors and careers. I have seen traditional wooden soldier nutcrackers, and some with themes like hockey, a doctor, a football player, a king, animals, popular characters and just about anything you can think of! If you are having trouble thinking of a gift for some one – or hopefully next year, need a hostess gift, remember the Nutcracker and the meaning of good luck and fortune!
Gift one of these colorful guys with a little note of their meaning, and it’s sure to become a treasured holiday decoration. We all need good luck this year!
Looking to start a nutcracker tradition? Here are a few Christmas Gal inspired finds!
-Christmas Gal Shendra
