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A Nutcracker Christmas – Decorating the Tree
Description: Tips for decorating your Christmas tree with a nutcracker theme.
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Attending the “Nutcracker” Ballet is a beloved holiday tradition for
many households. Some of the that magic can be brought home by decorating
the Christmas tree (preferably an oversized one, to remain true to the
story) with ornaments that reflect the story of Clara and her prince,
the Nutcracker.
Nuts
Make ornaments from walnuts by carefully cracking them open and
emptying out the shells. Fold a piece of satin ribbon to create a loop and
glue the ends together. Place the loop at the “top” of the walnut (not the
ends that comes to a bit of a point) and glue the walnut back
together. The walnut shells can be painted with spray paint before reassembly
for a less natural look.
Ballerinas
Purchase tiny porcelain ballerina ornaments to hang on the tree.
Ballet Shoes
Find small ballet shoe charms at jewelry stores to connect to ornament
hangers or add to a homemade garland. If your little one has ballet
slippers from childhood, tie them together and drape over a branch of the
Christmas tree.
Candy
Purchase small ornaments that look like candy and hang candy canes on
the tree to symbolize the Land of Sweets.
Presents
Hang ornaments that look like pint-sized presents all over the tree to
commemorate Herr Drosselmeyer’s distribution of the presents.
Mice
If you can not find mice ornaments, purchase cat toys made to resemble
mice and attach them to an ornament hanger.
Dolls
Purchase tiny ornaments that look like porcelain dolls for your
Nutcracker Christmas theme.
Nutcrackers
What would a Nutcracker tree be without wooden Nutcracker soldier
ornaments?
Toy Soldiers/Gingerbread Soldiers
Locate tiny toy soldier ornaments, or make gingerbread men and paint
them to appear like gingerbread soldiers.
Posies
Tie several small but sturdy flowers together into posies, or gather
larger single blooms, and rest either the posies or the blooms directly
onto the branches of the tree to commemorate the Waltz of the Flowers.
Fairies
Find tiny fairy ornaments to represent the Sugar Plum Fairy on your
holiday tree by searching the garden section or craft section of a hobby
store and nestle them inside your tree.
Snowflakes
Clear plastic snowflake ornaments can be purchased for mere pennies.
Purchase tiny ones meant for package decorations and large ones meant for
hanging from the ceiling. Make paper snowflakes and slip them on the
ends of branches.
Crystal Drops
Don’t forget the Dew Drop Fairy! "Crystal" drops meant for chandeliers
already have a hole in the top for running florists’ wire through for
an easy hanging loop.
The Spanish Dancer
Raid the dollhouse section of a hobby store for tiny maracas that can
be glued to ribbon and made into Christmas
tree ornaments.
The Oriental Dancer
Find dainty teacups and tie a loop of ribbon around their handles to
represent tea and the Oriental dancer.
Flutes
Small wooden flutes can be found at Renaissance Fairs for a few
dollars. Celebrate Tchaikovsky’s music and the festive party scenes of the
"The Nutcracker" with flutes connected to ornament hangers or resting in
the branches of the tree.
Toy Instruments
There are actually toy instruments used in some of the composition of
the party scene in which Clara first lays eyes on her Nutcracker. Give a
nod to the music, which is much of what makes the story of “The
Nutcracker” so memorable.
Make this holiday season even more special by decorating your tree with
ornaments to symbolism the cherished ballet, "The Nutcracker," and at
least one night, let yourself drift to sleep beneath the boughs.
