Nutcrackers: A History
Slate.com has a good article titled “A Brief History of Nutcrackers,” detailing the origins and spread of the strange anthropomorphic holiday nut breaking ornament/utensils. It is a good little read and in many ways makes me think of my own childhood Christmases. My parents bought me and my brother a little nutcracker each when we were young. Personally I thought (and kind of still think) that the things were creepy. The ones my folks gave us were too small to be effective at breaking into walnuts, or the likes, and so simply became decorative elements of the holiday season. However, they certainly seem to exist as a quintessential part of the Christmas decorative traditions. Add to that the famous Tchaikovsky ballet and you find that the presence of nutcrackers is intimately entwined with all that we think of come Christmas time. I don’t mind seeing one here or there, though the thought of pulling out 150+ of the things gives me a bit of the willies (it’s their eyes, they have kind of creepy eyes).
. . . Also their teeth! Look at them, all gnashy and nut-crushy. (via Wikipedia)
