SOLERA DIAMOND VALLEY | NOVEMBER 2023 9
The Nutcracker
By Clare Mendez, Resident
e nutcracker was designed to crack open nuts
by breaking their shells to reveal the meat inside
for consumption by people. Historically, nuts
were first opened using a hammer and anvil. Later,
manufacturers produced more modern, functional
nutcrackers using a tool that resembled a pliers.
Materials used to make these were usually silver,
cast-iron and bronze.
According to the Nutcracker Museum, by the 15th
century, wood carvers began creating nutcrackers
that were both functional and visually interesting.
Nutcrackers in the form of wood carvings of a
soldier, knight, king or other profession are a good
luck symbol in Germany and are represented in
folklore. Around 1865, the German woodworker
Wilhelm Fuchtner, became the first to commercially
produce and sell nutcrackers. His model was based
on a character from Heinrich Hoffmann's popular
children's book King Nutcracker and Poor Reinhold.
en, in 1892, Tchaikovsky's famous ballet,
e Nutcracker, debuted. Because the ballet is set
on Christmas Eve, the products quickly became
associated as holiday décor. Today, many of the
nutcrackers are still manufactured in Germany to
meet the demands of people all over the world.
Over the centuries the decorative aspect has grown
more popular and we now have elaborate designs
and themes ranging from Santas to cowboys,
bakers to animals, but still my favorite is the soldier.
Each year I get giddy opening the box I have of
nutcrackers I have collected throughout the years.
Some were given as gis and others I just couldn't
resist when spotting them on a store display. ey
help me to recall the holidays from years past and
keep precious memories alive.
