nutcracker - Frankly, My Dear . . .

The History of the Nutcracker

Dec 11, 2017 | 1 comment

It’s no secret I love nutcrackers. The music. The dolls. The ballet. The magic.

Frankly, My Dear . . . : The History of the Nutcracker

My collection ranges from a Steinbach wine maker nutcracker to a two-foot tall soldier guarding my fireplace to a two-inch tall onlooker at my work desk. With over fifty to date, I’ve yet to meet a nutcracker I haven’t liked. The diversity of their characteristics and embellishments are delightful.

My fascination grew from my love of the ballet. The classical music, the dance, Mikhail Baryshnikov.

Many years ago during one of my stints of unemployment, I happened upon a wonderful collection of nutcrackers at WalMart. They were nutcrackers fashioned after, well, The Nutcracker. There was blonde Clara, the Mouse King, the Nutcracker Prince, and my favorite: Uncle Drosselmeyer. At just $10 each, it wasn’t a terrible investment, but I couldn’t bring myself to get them. I remember telling my family how lovely they were.

Fast-forward about 36 hours and I couldn’t get them out of my head. The thing was, remember, I was still unemployed. It was about a month before Christmas and I knew if I waited patiently the store might run out before my next check came. So I stopped in at my mom’s house and ~~asked~~ ~~cried~~ begged to borrow the money so I could get them. She went into the other room which I thought was strange because it wasn’t the room she usually keeps her purse in. I heard a closet open and close, and she returned to me with a box.

Do I really have to finish this statement for y’all?

Not only did she get the four Nutcracker nutcrackers, she provided two soldier nutcrackers to guard them as well. And thus my collection began.

That was about ten years ago, and I’ve received several new nutcrackers every year since. [With fifty in the collection, that’s a duh statement!]

Nutcrackers as a tool have been around since ancient Greece. The tools resembled modern pliers or ratchets. In Victorian ages, nuts and fruits were presented on ornate trays with silver nutcrackers.

The figurative carvings have been around since the mid-15th Century. Their popularity grew toward the end of the 19th Century when the Swiss began to sell them as souvenirs. They are as symbol of luck in Germany (where Steinbachs are made).

They became popular in the US after the first US production of The Nutcracker ballet in 1940, during World War II, and as soldiers discovered the dolls.

The dolls are based on Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet, which premiered December 18, 1892. It has become one of his most renown works, celebrated and performed mostly at Christmastime, which is why the dolls are also celebrated this time of year more than any other.

Tchaikovsky had previously partnered with Marius Petipa on The Sleeping Beauty. Petipa asked Tchaikovsky to write The Nutcracker ballet with great specifics. It was based on an adaptation of “The Nutcracker and The Mouse King” by E.T.A. Hoffmann. Petipa instructed Tchaikovsky as to the tempo and length of each segment. The result is his masterpiece.

The Nutcracker music is featured in many holiday movies, events, produced in theatres worldwide, and referenced in many pieces of literature.

As I write this, I have the Baryshnikov Ballet performance on the TV for inspiration. I would like to say The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairies is my favorite. But I’d be lying. They all are. From Clara’s dream to the Mouse King nightmare to Uncle Drosselmeyer (again).

What’s your favorite version of The Nutcracker?

Frankly, My Dear . . . : The History of The Nutcracker

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With a bowl of nuts and sweets to dream,
Happy Dancing!
~Molly Jo

And Frankly, My Dear . . . : That’s all she wrote!

Sweeten my tea and share:

2017 Prep: My Happy Planner

Nov 24, 2016 | 2 comments

Victory Coffee

Hey. How’s it going? Mind if I take a sip of chicory? Thanks. Mm. Good stuff.

So. You’re prob’ly wondering why I haven’t posted much lately. Or you don’t care. In either event, I have a plan to change both. I have a plan, and I have a planner.

It’s no secret I can get a little, well, shall we say, frazzled? [Note to Self: Stop saying fun words five times fast. Just get on with it.]

The more I put on my plate, the more plates I need, and the more I put on them . . . You tracking this circle with me? Yup. That’s right. Plates = Projects = More Plates = More Projects. [Get the food reference? Awesome. Remember this for later in the post.]

I keep myself pretty busy. So busy, in fact . . . Well, I’m not sure I want to admit to this . . . Don’t tell anyone, okay? But I keep myself so busy I’ve actually been forgetful. Yup. I’ve dropped the ball on promoting the Firsts in Fiction podcast. The housecleaning? Fuggettaboutit. And writing takes second chair to editing which takes second chair to whatever daily project I have emergency flares sent up for.

My purse-size organizer that I’ve had for ten years just doesn’t cut it anymore. Sure, it’s great for a wallet and small notes. But keeping track? Notsomuch. What’s This Girl to do?

I’ll tell you what. After months of distant admiration, I finally snagged myself a Happy Planner. For realz. That’s what it’s called. And that’s how it makes me feel.

MoJo Happy Planner

I want to scream from the rooftops how this planner has saved me, and I’ve only had it for a week! Already I’m making lists and creating recipes and keeping track of posts I’m writing for other sites as well as who’s guest blogging on Frankly, My Dear . . .

It’s like responsible scrapbooking. And who doesn’t love a good scrapbook?

I have about twenty photos I could share, but you don’t want all that. Am I right? You want the highlights? Well, let me run it down for you:

Sturdy construction, laminated covers
18-month calendar with month- and week-at-a-glance pages
Monthly page to mark important dates and other noteworthy items
Inspirational quotes
Completely personalized

My Happy Planner: Recipe Teaser

Remember the food reference I asked y’all to remember? Here’s why: I recently contacted Winco Foods and asked, “How much do you miss me?” “So much,” they said. “Please blog for us again.” “Of course,” I said. And I knew I’d need a better way of tracking test kitchen concoctions. The Happy Planner’s Recipe Organizer Extension Pack was what sold me. It has everything I love. Room to write, margin notes, prep and cook time. It’s perfect.

My Happy Planner is so fun responsible necessary I went back the next day and picked up the Home Planner pack. Now this is a working woman’s dream. It’s got a chore list, people. A chore list! I wish Dot was still home so I could show her how much fun it is. A meal planner complete with organized grocery list page. A budget sheet? Won’t that come in handy with my credit recovery posts? Yeah, yeah. And the actual home budget, too. I know. But what really made me buzz is the large To Do lists.

MoJo Happy Planner: To Do

Seriously! A full-size lined page that gives me the freedom to mark it up how I want. It’s not numbered. It’s not dated. It’s just a list! I lalalove it, don’t you? And as you can tell, I have quite a few regular post ideas to share. [Not seeing a topic you’d like? Let me know in the comments.]

And the day after that, I realized I need to protect this piece of gold, so I went to the store a third time and to get a case for it. Of course the case is gold. No pun intended, but there it is anyway. Ya just can’t escape fate.

And y’all know how things just sort of come full circle, right? Well. As it turns out, the accent color of my Happy Planner case happens to be the same accent color of my newest nutcracker, whom I call King, which happens to be the nickname of the main character, Dwayne Pride, of NCIS: New Orleans. New Orleans, people! As in, NOLA, the setting for the novel I’m writing. Coincidence? I think not. And both of which are similar to Raven’s shell. Yes, Raven. You know. My new laptop. [Oh, like you’ve never named your inanimate objects. Sip your coffee and move on.]

Anyway. They very closely resemble Tiffany Blue. Yes, of Tiffany & Co. Also of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Which is with Audrey Hepburn and George Peppard, and filmed in New York, which is where Central Park is, which is where my second novel will be set, which will be written when I finish NOLA, which my Happy Planner tells me I need to work on this weekend!