Saturday, December 16, 2006
I've been collecting nutcrackers since I was six years old or earlier (some seem to have gone missing and we don't know what happened to them), so I have some that are about 21 years old now. And I love my nutcrackers. But every year when we take them out, at least one has an accessory that broke off and needs to be repaired. Well, this year I pulled one out that was about 15 years old and found that his foot had broken off and the base detached from him, which is the worst nutcracker injury we've ever had. So he can no longer stand up. And he needs some major work done to him to get him to stand. This upset me a great deal.
The nutcrackers are a tradition in my family. My mom buys me at least one each year, and as I have gotten older they have gotten more and more interesting. Like, this year she got me the pirate, but when I opened the boxes I realized there was a second pirate that we had forgotten about. They don't look alike but they make a wonderful pair. And there are the two really tacky ones, the king and queen, who have to be next to each other every year. The queen is a year older than the king, the king being the next year's addition and a perfect match to her colors. But my favorite is the first in a string of kings. We bought him in 1986. He is very, very small and has a little gold cloth crown. He's very simple. But I remember - even though I was only six at the time - picking him out over the rest of the nutcrackers because he was the king of the nutcrackers. And he was always displayed rather prominently, even after the second king came in. My collection has grown to sizes that limit the display options, so he isn't so prominent anymore. But he still stands out over the rest... mainly because he is, by far, the smallest of my collection. But I still like to think he's their ruler. :)
I told my mom that once I get my own place my first major furniture purchase is going to be another curio cabinet. I have one for my dolls, but they need it. Well, some of them do. A few of my dolls are very much collectable, and at least one - Tiny Tear - is sentamentally priceless. She's about 50 years old now. But the second curio cabinet will be for the nutcrackers. Even though they are a Christmas thing I wouldn't mind having them displayed year round. And I think it would prevent further broken limbs in the older nutcrackers. They are noticeably weaker than the newer ones, and some of the newer ones are just massive in size and weight. So they are crushing the older ones in their storage boxes. None of them have their original boxes anymore because of age, so they are all in bubble wrap. But they stay in the garage and are also subjected to the elements in there. A curio cabinet just for them would solve that problem, and would cut off any further heartbreak in the future.
When my parents are gone, those nutcrackers will be a reminder of them. Because most of them still have stories of their purchase stored away in my mind. For most of them, I still remember when they were shiny and new. For others, I know my mom spent a lot of time chosing just the right nutcracker out of the selections offered every year. This year's pirate. Last year's scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz. The year before that's Viking King and Pirate. The freaky short, fat one that doesn't really blend in well. The two with people faces instead of nutcracker faces. The kings and the queen. The one with the rabbit fur hat. The duck hunter who lost his rifle to Poochanne while she was teething. The tower watchman. The one from the Nutcracker Suite. The flagman. Father Time. The Santa. The doctor. The little drummer boy who lost his foot this year. And many, many others. Most were picked out by my mom and later lovingly repaired by her, more quickly when I was younger and would cry when one broke. They're priceless. And to me, they are the meaning of Christmas.
Suck Lead did something BAAAAD at 12/16/2006 12:09:00 AM
