The Holidays are here, and the decorations are
displayed. Store shelves are stocked with candy canes, snow globes and
make-your-own gingerbread houses. Christmas trees are wrapped in twinkly
lights, and the candles on the menorah are just waiting to be lit.
But every now and then, I feel as if something is
watching me, and it’s not Santa Claus.
Nutcrackers!
Sometimes they are teeny tiny, and sometimes they
are almost as tall as me. Do you know what I mean?
And this leads me to our Weekly Muse.
What are nutcrackers? And how did they become so
popular around the holidays?
Well, I found some great information from the
Nutcracker Museum in Leavenworth, Washington. This town is just a few hours
from Seattle, across the Cascade Mountains. Here is the website.
Nuts have been a part of the human diet since, like,
forever. And since some nuts are hard to crack, we’ve found some efficient ways
of cracking them without cracking our teeth.
The earliest nutcrackers were simple stones with
small pits to hold the nut in place. Later, nutcrackers were made of tough
metals like bronze and iron.
It wasn’t until the 15th and 16th
centuries that woodcarvers made nutcrackers that looked like people and
animals. And by 1872, Wilhelm Fuchtner of Germany began the mass production of
the toy soldier nutcrackers we know today.
These toy soldier nutcrackers became even more
popular when Russian composer, Pyotr Tchaikovsky wrote the ballet, “The
Nutcracker”, which was first performed in St. Petersburg in 1892.
 |
| Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky 1840-1893 |
But let’s not forget the writer who started it all.
If it were not for Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffman, Tchaikovsky wouldn’t have had
a story to incorporate with his music. And maybe Fuchtner wouldn’t have mass
produced his toy soldier nutcrackers, either.
Yes, E.T.A. Hoffman (arent’ we glad he went by his
initials) wrote a story called “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” which was
the inspiration behind the ballet.
 |
| E.T.A. Hoffman 1776-1822 |
That’s a mouthful of names, isn’t it? Let me make
break it down for you…
1. E.T.A
Hoffman wrote the story, “The Nutcracker and the Mouse King” in 1816.
2. Wilhelm
Fuchtner mass produced the toy soldier nutcrackers in 1872.
3. Pyotr
Tchaikovsky’s ballet “The Nutcracker” was first performed in 1892.
And since this popular ballet is still performed all
over the globe, the toy soldier nutcrackers are still seen today around the
holidays.
Take a look at this video, which shows some scenes
of the ballet. Make sure you look at the magnificent sets and costumes designed
by famous children’s book writer and illustrator, Maurice Sendak.
Also, take a look at this video of a mass production
of toy soldier nutcrackers today.
Wasn’t that neat?
With this new knowledge, what kind of story could you write? You can start by writing some “what if” questions. Here are few of mine. Feel free to use them.
WHAT IF your main character found a nutcracker buried
in the snow after a blizzard? Who does it belong to? How did it get there?
WHAT IF your main character heard a knock at the
door and found a nutcracker on the doorstep? What does this nutcracker want?
WHAT IF your main character is a nutcracker with a
BIG idea? What is this nutcracker up to, and how will this cracker hatch
his/her plan?
If you need more inspirations, here is a creative
writing challenge:
Think of an extraordinary setting, like a castle, a
cave or maybe even a different planet. Now, add a nutcracker character. How
does this nutcracker fit into this setting? Is he/she the king or queen of the
castle? Has a mysterious character hidden a nutcracker inside a cave? Why? Have
aliens taken a nutcracker back to their home planet? Whatever the situation may
be, what happens next?
The possibilities are endless!
So, grab a pencil and a piece of paper, and let’s
begin. With your imagination, we can go anywhere. I look forward to seeing
where you take us.
With Imagination,
Professor Watermelon
