This dainty ballerina is 5¾ inches tall. She is wearing a romantic style tutu and a beautiful gold glitter crown. The tutu is white with ruffled cap sleeves and ruffled trim around the neckline. The bodice sparkles with iridescent white glitter. The skirt is layers of white tulle. She is wearing white stockings and white lace up ballet shoes sprinkled with iridescent white glitter. The gold hanging cord loops through her gold glitter crown. Select this link to view our People and Profession Tree Ornaments.
The Nutcracker.
The Nutcracker story was written in 1816 by the German writer E.T.A. Hoffmann. It was a rather grim tale of an unhappy girl named Marie whose only love is a nutcracker doll. In 1845 the famed French novelist Alexandre Dumas adapted the story and made it more suitable for children. In 1891 this version was chosen as the basis of the Russian ballet scored by Piotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and choreographed by Marius Petitpa and Lev Ivanov. Select this link to view our Christmas Books.
The Nutcracker Suite opened in St. Petersburg on December 17, 1892. The original production was not a success. Though popular in Russia, it was never staged outside of that country until 1934, when a setting appeared in London. Since then numerous versions of the dance, long and short, have been attempted. The most successful was by George Balanchine in 1954. It is probably the world’s favorite ballet, being seen by millions each year, during the Christmas season. Select this link to view our Unique Baby Gifts.
The ballet’s popularity has stimulated an interest in the collection of nutcrackers. Though many types of metal and wood nutcrackers were made through the centuries, the commercial production of the popular wooden toy nutcracker dates only from the 1870’s in Germany. The Leavenworth Nutcracker Museum in Washington State exhibits over 3,000 of these implements from around the world. Select this link to view our Music Boxes.
Christmas Bells.
In the United States we tend to associate bells both with emergencies and with such joyous occasions as weddings and Christmas celebrations. This association between bells and Christmas can be traced back to the Middle Ages, when Church officials began to use bells for worship and celebration. Medieval European bell customs, in turn, developed out of a wide array of beliefs and practices associated with bells in ancient times.
As Christmas Day progresses, the children of Germany get more and more excited. It is not until after the bells of Christmas ring that they may enter the sitting room where the Christmas tree is decorated and their packages await! Now for the moment for which they have longed! Select this link to view our Western Christmas Ornaments.