Do you notice a theme here?


I guess if I had to admit that I collect something, I would have to say that it's nutcrackers. Of course, I only display them at Christmas, but I can at least enjoy them for two months out of twelve. I can attribute my love of nutcrackers to two things in my past.

First, when Dad was in the military and we were stationed at Fort Polk (i.e., "Fort Puke"), Louisiana, we got to be good friends with his commander and his wife and son. They had been in the military long enough to have been fortunate enough to travel overseas, namely Europe, several times. Jane, his wife, became ultra fond of nutcrackers, and it was oh so evident. Instead of a myriad of gifts encircling their Christmas tree were a spattering of nutcrackers. These weren't just department store nutcrackers....these were Steinbach nutcrackers from Germany. All sizes, all heights, all colors, all themes. Gorgeous.

One summer we took a family trip with this family. Well if you can call it a trip we took "together"..... Dad and Colby actually rode their bicycles 250 miles from the base to New Orleans, and we women followed behind in cars. While there, we were eating one night at a restaurant over the Mississippi River. Over dinner, they announced that they wanted to spend the next afternoon shopping in the nutcracker shop a few streets down. Evidently, there was a store in N.O. which sold nothing but Steinbachs. Oh, if only my allowance fund was properly stocked up at that point! (Well, it still isn't stocked up enough for Steinbachs.)

The second thing which spurred my love for these little wooden contraptions was when I traveled to Atlanta by train in 1993 to actually see The Nutcracker performed by the Atlanta Ballet troupe. I had always been intrigued by this story, and I must admit the the half-held belief in the fantastical occurrance of one coming to life and being able to waltz around the room made my blood rush, and made my childhood last a little bit longer.

Some people get excited over hot chocolate at the holidays....I get excited about pulling out my stout soldiers and putting them out to enjoy. I also look forward to shopping around for another themed version. (Last year, I was actually able to find a bagpiper for Dad.) I know I can't buy one every year from now on....otherwise I'll be overrun with them and I'll be "one of those old ladies everybody talks about." I plan to quit one year soon, but not yet.

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