December: A Nutcracker Christmas

Editor’s note: the post below was lovingly written by our team member, Laura Bass. I added a few thoughts of my own, but I want to give credit to her for helping me get to the finish line on this creative project!

Everyone knows of the Nutcracker and most of us have probably seen some version of the ballet, whether in person or on television. You might also know that there are different variations of the Nutcracker.

But do any of us really know the story of the Nutcracker? 

I thought I did. I’ve always loved the Nutcracker. I’ve seen the ballet. But this year, I went down a Nutcracker rabbit hole and discovered that there is so much I didn’t know.

For weeks, I’ve been telling my team: “We’re doing a Nutcracker Christmas this year!” I didn’t know exactly what that meant or what that would look like, but I was spending hours diving into Nutcracker research, learning about different translations, and exploring the intricacies of the story, beyond what we’ve seen in the ballet. I’ve been drawing Nutcrackers and dreaming of Nutcracker-themed products I’d like to make one day.

Well, here we are on the last day of November. It’s time to put Nutcracker Christmas, the Whitney English version, into action. Here’s what that’s going to look like. 

Every day leading up to Christmas, we’ll be sharing a little bit of the Nutcracker story on Instagram. I’ve sifted through translations and pored over academic analyses. I’ve gathered facts and compared versions. I’ve downloaded an early translation, and I’ve been putting my own spin on it.

Here on the blog, I’ll be sharing some of the “story behind the story” each week. Fascinating facts, my own interpretations and conclusions, and perhaps even some of my original drawings. You might see some Nutcracker-inspired recipes, and who knows what else? It’s our theme this month, and we’re running with it.

While Nutcracker products weren’t in the cards this year (though I’m not ruling that out for the future!), our Blitzen boxes include the most adorable Nutcracker matchbooks and will be available through December 10 (or when supplies run out, whichever comes first).

I’m excited about this Nutcracker Christmas, and I hope you’ll follow along. At the end of the month, I’ll be putting together a Nutcracker-themed giveaway for our December comment contest, so be sure to comment as you read along this month!