Chef Nutcracker Decorations

Our Chef Nutcracker Decorations are 10 inches tall. The Chef is wearing a tall green hat with a red brim and a silver pencil stuck in the brim. His Nutcracker Costume also consists of a green shirt with gold buttons and gold collar, a black belt around his waist, red pants and black shoes. He is holding a wooden tray displaying salt, pepper and several other spice containers and has his cooking utensils hanging from the front. He also has more utensils hanging from his left arm and more spices at his feet. Select this link to view our Christmas nutcrackers village people.

The History Of Nutcrackers
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. Select this link to view our Wooden Nutcracker Soldiers.

Nutcracker Legend
According to German folklore, nutcrackers were given as keepsakes to bring good luck to your family and protect your home. The legend says that a nutcracker represents power and strength and serves like a trusty watch dog guarding your family from evil spirits and danger. A fierce protector, the nutcracker bares its teeth to the evil spirits and serves as the traditional messenger of good luck and goodwill.
Nutcrackers reflect ancestral dining customs where amusing or unusual nutcrackers were part of the social setting adding a whimsical conversation piece as guests linger over the dessert course which included treats such as pecans and hazelnuts.
Writers, composers and artists sang and danced the praises of the legend of the Nutcracker beginning with the novel �The Nutcracker and the King of Mice,� written sometime between 1776 and 1822, by E.T.A. Hoffman which became the basis for Tchaikovsky�s magnificent �Nutcracker Suite�, which debuted as a ballet in St. Petersburg in 1892 and lives on as a holiday tradition throughout the world. Select this link to view our Large Nutcrackers.