The Nutcracker in Department 56 Village Displays: Trivia, Trivia, Trivia!

I've been waiting all year to write a blog about the Nutcracker.  I knew I wanted to feature Department 56 buildings and accessories in the blog, and I wanted to tickle everyone's memories about this wonderful Christmas tradition.  Therefore, I have decided to present a Nutcracker Christmas  trivia quiz!  

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Nutcracker Playhouse," 808944

Question #1:  Who wrote the score of the Nutcracker, and who choreographed the original ballet?  


((The first is easy.  Almost everyone knows that the great Russian composer Tchaikovsky wrote the piece.  However, there is no certainty over who first provided the choreography.  The renowned and prolific French choreographer Marius Petipa probably started the work, and when he was unable to continue due to ill health, his assistant Lev Ivanov may have taken over.  Though their artistic styles were quite different, the Nutcracker’s style shows consistency, probably due to Petipa providing to Ivanov very detailed instructions.))

Dept. 56, North Pole Village,
"Nutcracker Delivery," #56842

Question #2:  What is the name of Clara’s mischievous brother who broke her nutcracker?

((The brother's name is Fritz.))

Dept. 56, Alpine Village,
"Nutcracker Vendor and Cart," #56183

Question #3:   Who is killed in the Nutcracker?  

((The Mouse King!  The mice and the soldiers are involved in a battle in front of the Christmas tree, and the Mouse King and the Nutcracker face off.  When Clara sees the Nutcracker is in danger, she flings her slipper at the Mouse King, killing him!))

Dept. 56, North Pole Village,
"Hand Carved Nutcracker Factory," #56753

Question #4:  What is the name of the mysterious toymaker who makes the Nutcracker and presents it to Clara?  

((Herr Drosselmeyer.))

Dept. 56, Snow Village,
"Nutcracker Ballerinas," #808953

Question #5:  When and where was the Nutcracker Ballet first performed? 

((In St. Petersburg at the Marlinsky Theater on Dec. 18, 1892.))

Dept. 56, Alpine Village,
"Nussknacker Werkstatt," #56217

Question #6:  Was the Nutcracker an immediate success?

((No, the original production was reviled by critics and newspapers.  The composer died of cholera less a year later, before the Nutcracker became an international triumph.))

Dept. 56, Alpine Village,
"Nikolausfiguren," #56223

Question #7:  What are some of the national dances included in the Nutcracker? 

 

((Spanish, Indian, Arabian, and Chinese dances are all included.  One of the most popular is the Russian Cossack dance called the “Trepak.”))

Dept. 56, Snowbabies,
"Christmas Nutcracker,"  #60029E

Question #8:  What musical instrument was first featured in Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker?

((The “celesta” was used for the first time in the Nutcracker.  The celesta is a keyboard instrument which produces a sound reminiscent of bells.  It is said that Tchaikovsky smuggled the instrument out of France and into Russia to prevent other composers from using it first!))

Dept. 56, Alpine Village,
"Christmas Market, Nutcracker Market Booth," #4017898

Question #9:  When was the Nutcracker first performed in the U.S.?

((In 1944 by the San Francisco Opera Ballet under the direction of William Christensen.))

Dept. 56, North Pole Village,
"The Little Ballerina," #799953

Question #10:  What did Tchaikovsky think of his Nutcracker Ballet?  

((Tchaikovsky believed the Nutcracker’s music was “infinitely poorer” than his Sleeping Beauty, which was finished two years earlier.))

2008 United States Postal Service Stamps,
featuring Nutcrackers based on carvings
by Glenn Crider of Richmond, VA 

Question #11:  When were U.S. Nutcracker stamps first issued?  

((The United States Postal Service issued four Nutcracker stamps, based on carving by Glenn Crider of Richmond, VA, in 2008.))

    

 

 

 

 

 

Patty Duncan's Trees in Department 56 Villages: Creative and So Cute!

"He who has not Christmas in his heart will never find it under a tree." 

(Roy L. Smith, from Quotegarden.com)

Several months ago I announced to my husband that the biggest village problem we have is trees.  Right now we only have two kinds: sisal pine trees and leafless birch.  Well, I do have one deciduous oak, but it is quite lonely.  

Patty Duncan, Tree Visualizer and Manufacturer Extraordinaire,
Founder and Vice President,
Southwest Villagers, Phoenix Area, Arizona

It was soon thereafter that someone on one of the chat rooms posted pictures from the Department 56 Happy Trails to Arizona Gathering.  Curious, I looked through them, and found TREES!  AND MORE TREES!  Trees by Patty Duncan, the Founder and Vice President of the Southwest Villagers Collectors Club in the Phoenix area! Patty has sent me a wonderful set of pictures, instructions for making trees, and ideas on how to craft trees to enhance specific buildings. And all these are Tree-mendous!

Patty Duncan's Trees used with Dept. 56 North Pole,
"Zenbolt's Handyman Shop," 808926

My favorites may be the trees Patty fashioned specifically for the North Pole building, Handyman Nutz Zenbolt.  First, she selected silver trees that go well with the corrugated silver roof on the shed, and the shiny metal parts all over the roof.   The trees in the back were from Walgreens last year.  On the far left and far right are trees from Lowes last year, onto which Patty glued nuts of various sizes, which mirror on the nuts on the building's chimney.  The large "bolt" trees are just that...bolts that Patty found and glued together!

Patty Duncan's Trees, used with Dept. 56,
North Pole,
"Baskets and Bows," #808925

Equally charming is the way Patty decorated the trees that complement the North Pole building Baskets and Bows.  Note that the tree on the left is wound with a garland, on which are both bows and wreaths with red bows.  These mirror the beautiful the red bows on the building above the windows, above the door, and even at the peak of the roof.  The tree on the right is simpler, but just as distinctive, using just bows.  I am sure you could make your own little bows from small ribbons, and even spray them with glitter.  You could also use puffy stickers, or Michaels other and craft sores will have tiny bows and wreaths designed for craft projects or dollhouses. In any event, the trees and the buildings create such a cute vignette it could stand alone, or enhance an entire village.

Patty Duncan's Trees, Used with Dept. 56, North Pole,
"Peppermint Pete's Candy Factory,"
#4016904 

Patty uses scrapbook or decorative paper in so many ways!  Here she cut out peppermint candy images from a sheet of the  scrapbook paper and stuck them onto a styrofoam tree with red and green decorative head pins she found at Michaels.  Just imagine how cute it would look if you made a walkway leading to Peppermint Pete's out of the same decorative sheets.  Patty has made me start thinking.  You could use actual wrapped peppermint candies glued onto styrofoam trees, or even red and white striped candy sticks, to mirror those on the building. 

Patty Duncan's Trees, in conjunction with Dept. 56, Christmas in the City,
"Golden Ox Market," # 805533, "Welcome to Chinatown,'" #807253,
"Tea Time," #799950

In Patty's Chinatown vignette, we see one of her most creative tree solutions.  Here she has taken Dept. 56 white birch trees, and hot glued on spring florals and pussy willow buds.  The vibrant fuchsia is so evocative of Chinese spring.  Patty's display features the Department 56 Christmas in the City, "Golden Ox Market," along with the CIC "Welcome to Chinatown" and the Dickens Village "Tea Time."

Patty Duncan's Trees, in conjunction with Dept. 56, Christmas in the City,
Jambalaya Cafe," #59265, "Caffe Tazio," #59253,
and "Handsome Cab," #59459

Patty's flamboyant use of Mardi Gras beads on trees enlivens a New Orleans vignette. She has not only wrapped the trees in beads, but even draped the "Handsome Cabs" with beads, and filled the carriages with gailey-wrapped presents.  In the background Patty has fashioned a background of green and purple fabric, traditional mardi gras colors.  Put together with the Department 56 Christmas in the City "Jamalaya Cafe" and "Caffe Tazio," a festive New Orleans scene is created. 

Patty Duncan's Trees.

Here are a series of trees, and the materials Patty recommends to use in making them. (Full instructions are at the end of this blog.)  In the back are Patty's red and green "Glittery Ball Trees," made from Hobby Lobby glitterballs, which were hot glued onto paper cone trees.  I wonder if you could also use little glass ornament balls?  On the gingerbread tree, front and left,  Patty used bric-a-brac and 3-dimensional scrapbook stickers in the shapes of Christmas bell, trees, and gingerbreads.  The gold trees in the back right are ornaments.  She snipped off the ornament hangers, and glued dowls onto the back so the trees could be supported by syrofoam.   The silver trees in the front center were also originally tree ornaments.  Patty glued them onto quarters to give them a base for standing, and then placed silver balls at the top to hide the ornament hooks!  On the front, right, is a simple evergreen tree, onto which Patty glued 3-D scrapbook figures of Mickey Mouse!

Patty Duncan's Trees, made from decorative paper.

In a women's magazine Patty saw a decorative tree idea, which she used for village applications!  (Patty's instructions are included at the end of this blog.)  Essentially, though, she cuts out circles of decorator or scrapbooking paper.  She folds them, and glues them onto skewers or small dowels, and tops them with stars from the same paper.

Patty Duncan's Trees, used with Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Holly Tree Inn," #4016900

To the left you can see how Patty uses these kind of trees to enhance a display of Department 56 Dickens' Village Holly Tree Inn.  The decorative paper she used features garlands of holly with red berries, mirroring those in the Inn.  In the back on the right, by the way, is another example of Patty's technique of gluing 3-D stickers onto trees.  In this case, of course, the stickers are of holly leaves and berries.

Patty Duncan's Trees:
Autumn Pumpkin Display

Patty used the paper  technique described above to make autumn trees for use in a pumpkin display.  Notice how she has made the tops of the trees.  They are circles cut form the same paper, onto which Patty has applied autumn stickers featuring glitter leaves and rhinestones.  She found the stickers at Walmart.

Patty Duncan's Scary Trees!
"Halloween Trees"

Next year, when making your Halloween displays, remember Patty's Scary Tree technique. The Instructions are attached, below, under "Halloween Trees."  In short, using black scrapbook card stock, cut out 8 trees, then glue the bottoms, but not the tops, together.  Sprinkle black glitter onto a 9th cutout, and then glue that one on top of the stack of 8.  Glue a black dowel to the back of the trees, and fan the branches for dimension!  Wonderful effect.

Patty Duncan's Instructions for Christmas and Halloween Trees

     Spray paint green winter trees with black paint.  Decorate with glitter (I like Martha Stewart’s glitter).

     Hot glue flying ghost stickers to tree limbs of D56 trees (stickers are from Michaels).

     Paper trees are cut from black scrapbook card stock using a Cricut Electronic Cutter –Cartridge:  Paper Doll Dress Up-Frankenstein Accessories 3.  Glue bottom halves of 8 cutouts together.  Do not glue branches – only trunk of trees. Spray adhesive glue on 9^th cutout and sprinkle with black glitter then glue in on top of stack of 8.   Glue black painted dowel to back of trees to stand up in foam base.    Fan branches to add dimension.

Christmas Trees:

    Theme trees are easy to make.  Use scrapbook stickers or any embellishment that depicts the theme.  Hot glue in winter trees (Jolee’s 3 dimensional stickers are great).

    Peppermint Trees are also made from scrapbook decorative paper.  Cut peppermints out and stick pin to Styrofoam cone tree with decorative pins.

   Glitter Ball Trees.  Glue balls to paper cone trees with hot glue.  Glitter balls can be found at Hobby Lobby.

   Oriental Trees.   Hot glue Spring florals & greenery to D56 white birch trees.  Shape branches to allow florals to hang.

   Mardi Gras Trees.   Cut string of beads and hot glue to trees to replica beads thrown during Mardi Gras.  D56 bejeweled trees are perfect for this theme.

   Ornaments.    Use “tree” ornaments for an unique addition to your display.  Add base and tree topper.

Patty Duncan's Instructions for Three-tier Trees

Prep:   Cut three circles from decorative paper.  Scrapbook cardstock works best for sturdier trees.

Each circle should be ½ inch larger than the previous.  The circles for our trees are:  4½ inches, 3½  inches and 2¾ inches.  (I liked the look of 2¾ instead of 2½.)

Fold each circle in half four times.  When using heavier paper, you may have to make the last folds individually.  Unfold to reveal the “pleated” circles.

Snip a very small amount off the tip of each folded circle.

Assembly:  Thread the circles, largest one first, onto a painted wooden skewer. (do not glue yet)

Finish:  For the topper, glue two stars back-to-back over the top of skewer.  You can use other shapes for topper:  snowflake cutout or circle with designs from paper you are using.

Slide pleated circles into place on skewer and glue if needed on the underside (at skewer).  You can place & glue top pleated circle right up to your topper, or leave a space showing painted skewer between them.

Decorate tree with glitter glue, beads, or any small decorative item.

  Cut the skewer even with the bottom circle so the tree    will stand up, or leave some length to poke through   styrofoam in your village display.

  Decorate:  You can decorate your tree with scrapbook embellishments, glitter glue, and/or small buttons in the small design that is in your paper.  To make trees taller, add one or more tier(s) made ½ inch large than last circle.

The Twelve Days of Christmas in Dept. 56 Dickens' Village

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"12 Days of Dickens' Village Sign,'" #58467

I think I'm going to write a book.  It's going to be about the Twelve Days of Christmas and how my big cat Hemmingway stalks "what my true love gave to me," most particularly, "the partridge in a pear tree."  My book shall be listed, under non-fiction, in every card file, on every data base, in every reference book or site, both digital and paper.

My book shall be considered non-fiction because, regardless of what I decide to include in my story, I am quite sure I will find a source that supports the historicity of whatever I write.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Twelve Drummers Drumming," #58387

Until I can write this book about Hemmingway's adventures, though, I must content myself with the fiction/non-ficiton of other delectable Christmas items, like the traditional song, "The Twelve Days of Christmas."  The internet certainly provides an incredible variety of theories about its history, numerous interpretations of what it means, and even an economic model based on the song, with a Christmas Price Index based on "market basket" of commodities sung about.  Whether any of this information is true is questionable.  Nonetheless, I have had a wonderful time exploring this chocolate box of 12-day trivia, and am going to share some of the delectable tidbits.   (By the way, were you lost with that chocolate box metaphor?  I was referring to Forrest Gump's line in the movie: "My mama always said 'life was like a box of chocolates.  you never know what you're gonna get."  Fear of creating reader confusion does not deter me.)

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Eleven Lords A-Leaping," #58413

First of all, though the Twelve Days of Christmas was first published in England in 1780, it may have actually been French in origin.  Did you know there is a Roud Folk Song Index, which is a database of over 21,600 songs in the English oral tradition?   Anyway, by some Googlian algorithm they try to compile and determine age, origin, derivation of folk songs.  It is complicated, and unless you really care, just accept the fact that the "Twelve Days of Christmas" is #68 of 21,600, which means the song is pretty darn old.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Ten Pipers Piping," #58386

Some of the song's trivia is interesting:  For example, the phrase "...the partridge in a pear tree" may be wrong.  Some sources said the pear tree is actually 'perdrix," which is French for partridge and pronounced per-dree.  Therefore, the original line would have been "A partridge, une perdrix."  Or "A partridge, a partridge," which reminds me of a wonderful spot on my alma mater's campus, "Lake Lagunita" or "Lake Little Lagoon."  My high school sports team was the Buffalo Bison....I digress.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Nine Ladies Dancing," #58385

According to Wikipedia, "In the west of France the (song) is known as..."La foi de la loi"...the sequence being:  A good stuffing without bones, two breasts of veal, three joints of beef, four pigs' trotters, five legs of mutton, six partridges with cabbage, seven spitted rabbits, eight plates of salad, nine dishes for a chapter of canons, ten full casks, eleven beautiful full-breasted maidens, and twelve musketeers with their swords."  Personally, I think this version is more interesting.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Eight Maids-A-Milking," #58384

The Scottish version of "The Twelve Days of Christmas," includes such delightful items as three starlings, an Arabian baboon, and a parrot.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Seven Swans-A-Swimming," # 58383

At Brown University a Latin Carol Service is held in December each year.  Sponsored by the Classics Department, the entire performance is in Latin, and includes a rendition of the Twelve Days of Christmas.  Wikipedia does not note if this concert is well-attended. This reminds of a play I attended once.  The play was written by a medieval abbess, Hildegard of Bingen, centuries ago. We were shocked, when we arrived, to find the large church was so full that there was standing room only.  This gave us great hope, though, that it was going to be an interesting production, and we leaned against a large stone pier....for two and a half hours of medieval Latin.... The only action in the play was this guy who came in occasionally and shook some chains.  Hic, haec, hoc.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Six Geese A-Laying," #58382

In 1963 Allan Sherman recorded "The Twelve Days of Christmas," but in his version the gifts were tacky early1960 items, like the "Japanese transistor radio."  His version features only 11 gifts, however, since on the 12 day of Christmas, he decides to exchange all of the gifts for something else.  Here's the link if you want to hear this song again!  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7qoClBsZSTM

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Five Golden Rings," #58381

Now, about the "Five golden rings."  Women, delete this so your husband doesn't see it.  It is possible, but I don't believe it, that the gold rings refer not to jewelry, but to ring-necked chickens like the ring-necked pheasant, or possibly to "five goldspinks." (A goldspink is an old name for a goldfinch.)  Personally, I will "ring" (read: wring) the neck of any bird in my family who suggests this verse does not refer to gold rings.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Four Calling Birds," # 58379

The "four calling birds" is also problematic.  While I don't care as much about calling birds as I do about gold rings, I will nonetheless mention it to you.  It isn't actually a  "calling bird."  It is a "colly" bird, which is another name for a blackbird.  A bird is a bird.  But if this is true, and if it is true that the golden rings refer to pheasants, etc., (which I refuse to believe,) then the first seven gifts are all birds.

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Three French Hens," 

In 1979 the Muppets and John Denver performed The Twelve Days of Christmas.  John Denver is a fine singer, but Miss Piggy steals the show.  Here is a link to the performance: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDBMzGq1vhs

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"Two Turtle Doves," # 58360

Follow the Money....even at Christmas! A U.S. bank, PNC Financial Services, has developed an economic indicator, The Christmas Price Index, based on the values of the "market basket" of the 364 items listed throughout The Twelve Days of Christmas.  In 1984, the "True Cost of Christmas" was $61,318.94.  In 2010, the true cost had risen to $96,825.29.  I would liked to have known the value at market's end yesterday, when the Dow dropped almost 400 points. To read more about the Christmas Price Index, click here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_Price_Index

Dept. 56, Dickens' Village,
"A Partridge in a Pear Tree," #58351

Now, for one of the best performances of the Twelve Days of Christmas, click on this link!!  You will be soooo glad you did! It's Straight No Chaser, an a cappella men's group from Indiana University, with its complex, funny, elegant, and absolutely wonderful rendition of the "Twelve Days of Christmas" and much more.  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Fe11OlMiz8&feature=relmfu






THANKS TO WIKIPEDIA.COM FOR ALL THE "FACTUAL" INFORMATION INCLUDED IN THIS BLOG!