Christmas is the time of year when an excessive number of decorations are completely acceptable. There’s the tree. There’s the lights. There’s the garland, the ribbon, the shiny stuff, the manger, and everything else. Yet, one thing that was always a staple in my house were nutcrackers.
Nutcrackers were originally designed in Germany as a means to crack open hard nuts. At that time, they were more practical than fancy. Even so, somewhere over the years, nutcrackers moved from their original purpose into gorgeous decorations as part of the Christmas season.
Additionally, where they once were all men with professional jobs, such as knights and soldiers, they have now branched out. Recently, I even found a Maneki Neko nutcracker at World Market. However, I lean towards the traditional nutcrackers in their red, green, and blue uniforms and their soft beards. There’s something nice about a ‘traditional’ nutcracker sitting on the mantel during the Christmas season.
| Movies To Watch 1) The Santa Claus 2) 3) 4) Scrooged 5) Love Actually 6) Home Alone 7) Home Alone 2 8) Nothing Like the Holidays 9) 10) 11) Rudolph, The Red-nosed Reindeer 12) Frosty, The Snowman |
Activities To Do 1) 2) Make Cookies 3) Build a Gingerbread House 4) Visit Christkindlmarkt 5) Ice Skating 6) Hot Cocoa by the Fireplace 7) Build a Snowman 8) Snowball Fight 9) Complete Holiday Puzzle 10) Read ‘A Christmas Carol’ 11) Christmas Party 12) Participate in Secret Santa |
Do you have a nutcracker as part of your Christmas decorations?
