These 5.5 inch Nutcracker Soldiers are dressed in green coats with gold trim. He is also wearing red pants, a red hat with a gold flowery decoration, and tall black boots. This black haired soldier is standing at attention with his red handled sword attached to his left hip. The Nutcracker Ornament has a rounded wood base so it can set on any flat surface. The Ornament hanger is a braided gold lame cord. Select this link to view all of our nutcracker ornaments.
History of German Nutcrackers
Produced for generations by skilled German woodcrafter, nutcrackers were traditionally dressed as soldiers and kings. In old Germany, it delighted villagers to see these authoritarian figures doing menial tasks such as cracking nuts! A bowl of Christmas nuts was just not complete without a colorful German nutcracker standing at attention nearby. Nutcrackers were especially popular with Germans who coined the phrase, “Gott gibt die nüsse aber knacken müss man sie selbst (God gives the nuts but we must crack them ourselves),” which was intended to teach children that life was hard but rewarding. This phrase made the nutcracker a favorite toy, possibly because it enabled children to reach life’s rewards more easily. Select this link to view our wooden nutcracker soldiers.
A Nutcracker Fable.
Once upon a time, in the mountains of Germany, there lived a young boy with his mother and father. The boy’s father woke up early everyday and went to work in the mines. The little boy was scared to stay at home without his father, whom he loved very much.
So that his son would not be frightened, the father carved him a wooden nutcracker which had fierce eyes and teeth. He told the boy that he should not be afraid because he was safe from harm with the nutcracker there to protect him. The boy was still afraid, so every night when the father came home from the mines, he worked on carving a new nutcracker for his son. He gave his son many different nutcrackers, a guard, a painter, a clockmaker, etc. These nutcrackers protected the boy and kept him company while his father was away. The boy always felt safe and when he was older and had a son of his own, he passed on the nutcrackers to him, so that he would always be protected from harm. As the nutcrackers were passed on, the collection grew bigger and bigger as each generation added its own special touch. Select this link to view all of our wooden nutcrackers.