You know the ballet. Do you know the history of the nutcrackers and how they became so popular at Christmas? It wasn’t just the ballet. Wish your loved ones Merry Christmas on the show at (323) 487-12-25. Or do it by email at TopElf at MyChristmasStocking dot NET. The Christmas Stocking is on Facebook, on Twitter (@XmasStocking), and Google+. Everything is at MyChristmasStocking.net.

http://www.podtrac.com/pts/redirect.mp3/www.archive.org/download/ChristmasStockingPodcast/112Nutcrackers.mp3

Click here to download the show to your device.

Featured music:

“Dance of the Reed Pipes” by William Arnold from “Expedition: Nutcracker Suite” (from Noisetrade)

Background music:

“Waltz of the Flowers” by William Arnold from “Expedition: Nutcracker Suite” (from Noisetrade)

“Trepak (Russian Dance from the Nutcracker)” by Glenn Crytzer’s Savoy Seven from “A Little Love This Christmas”

More information:

Slate has more in their Brief History of Nutcrackers.

Wikipedia will brief you in a more expansive history.

And of course the Nutcracker Museum has more, with lots of pictures.