This small German town in the Ore Mountains is considered by many as the birthplace of the Nutcracker doll. Due to the town’s rich access to wood, Seiffen has become home to the world’s finest ...

Its Christmas Eve narrative about a German family visited by an eccentric ... mice and toys—particularly a sharp-jawed, bearded nutcracker—play parts. That initial Russian staging is no ...

German tradition dictates the giving of nutcrackers as keepsakes to bring luck to the recipient and to protect the home. In “The Nutcracker,” young Clara is gifted a nutcracker during a family ...