A nutcracker is a device for cracking nuts. It works on the principle of moments derived from Archimedes' discovery of the lever.

Nutcrackers as wood carvings of a soldier, knight, king, or other profession have been known since at least the 15th century. These nutcrackers are carvings of a person with a big mouth that is opened by pressing a lever in the back of the figurine. Originally one could insert a nut in the big-toothed mouth, press down and thereby crack the nut. Modern nutcrackers in this style are mostly for decoration.

The carving of nutcrackers as well as religious figures and cribs developed as a cottage industry in forested rural areas of Germany. The most famous nutcracker carvings come from Sonneberg, Thuringia, also a center of doll making, and from the Ore Mountains. Wood carving was usually the only income for the people living there. Today their income is supplemented by the travel industry bringing visitors to the remote areas.

Nutcrackers have become popular in the United States as well and a recreated "Bavarian village" of Leavenworth, Washington even features a Nutcracker Museum. Many other materials were used for the decorated nutcrackers, such as porcelain, silver, and brass, and can be seen at the museum.

Carvings by famous names like Jungbanel, Mertens, Karl, Kolbe, Petersen, Ulbricht and especially the Steinbach nutcrackers have become collectors' items.

The Nutcracker Ballet

The story of The Nutcracker and the Mouse King was written by E. T. A. Hoffmann. Alexandre Dumas' adaptation of the story was set to music by Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and has become the most popular ballet performed around Christmas time. It is appealing to children and adults alike and has been a standard yearly feature of theaters in many cities. Because the ballet centers around a young girl's Christmas gift of a life-size nutcracker, it has become a standard performance during the Christmas holiday season.

Every year it is the same story.  You see, when I was in Austria the I saw this nutcracker at the Christmas market year after year.  My last Christmas in Austria I bought this nutcracker for a whopping 75$ US.  I loved this nutcracker.  He was a toy maker.  Well,  apparently the person who made this nutcracker was NOT a toy maker, because this thing has done nothing but fall into deeper and deeper disrepair as the years pass.  So, now he is the joke of Christmas.  Every year more things fall off, snap in half...and this year his arm fell off.  But, he is going to be put out at Christmas because it is a tradition.  Well, finally, my kids asked “Why do people put out nutcrackers at Christmas?”  So, we did a little research and found on this site:

So, now the kids know why I have to put out my dilapidated nutcracker.  And, as a side note, last year I went to Costco and bought some beautiful stained glass nutcrackers to go on my fireplace.  They look quite lovely...until, when I took them out this year my boy Cade pointed out one of the panes of glass is broken.  Clearly, I am not meant to have a nutcracker.

 

And, I have a friend living in Leavenworth, WA...Herr Jenkins...I will be expecting a tour of the nutcracker museum when we finally make it out your way...but I won’t buy one! Unless I really really like it...

On this site, we learned that even before the 1800’s in the eastern region of Germany, miners spent long winter months making wooden ‘soldiers and kings’ to crack their nuts.  That way the kings and soldiers were working for them!! LOL~

Other cool clicks:

History of NC

Nutcracker Ballet

Nussknacker Haus