The holiday tradition dates back to the 1890sand its all because of The Nutcracker ballet.
When you see decorative nutcrackers displayed at shops, it is officially time to get intothe Christmas spirit.
You may have never seen someone crack open a nut with a nutcracker, but that isnt surprising.
Credit: Gemma and Andrew Ingalls
Its claim to fame is as a holiday decoration rather than a functional kitchen tool.
However, nutcrackers didnt start out asclassic Christmas decor.
They werent even associated with the holiday until after the ballet with the same name debuted.
So, why are nutcrackers associated with Christmas?
Known by the German wordNussknacker, these figures resembled animals and humans.
By the mid-19th century, nutcrackers resembled the human figures we recognize today.
Around 1865, the German woodworker Wilhelm Fuchtner became the first to commercially produce and sell nutcrackers.
His model was based on a character from E.T.A.
Hoffmanns popular childrens bookKing Nutcracker and Poor Reinhold.
Then, in 1892, Tchaikovskys famous ballet,The Nutcracker, debuted.
This interest is credited to the resurgence of vintage decor trends.
It is based on a story of the same name written by E.T.A.
The mouth is where you place the nut that you are going to crack.
The History of Nutcrackers.Nutcracker Museum
The Exhibition.German Christmas Museum
