Candy Shoppe Christmas Card Set - Nutcracker

A stout little nutcracker stands at attention in his red coat, green trousers, and snowy white beard, looking every inch the royal guard of the holiday season. He's surrounded by retro glass ornaments in stripes and swirls, with snowflakes drifting across a bright pink background. It's a playful nod to vintage Christmas decorating, and it looks as cheerful on a mantel as it does in a mailbox.

Nutcrackers have a long history in Germany's Erzgebirge mountains, where woodcarvers began crafting them in the 1800s to crack nuts and keep the household smiling. Their fame grew after E.T.A. Hoffmann's 1816 story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King," which inspired Tchaikovsky's ballet, first performed in St. Petersburg in 1892. Today the ballet is a holiday staple, and the wooden soldier who once guarded a family's walnuts is still standing watch every December.

Inside, the verse reads "'Tis the Season," an ideal greeting for anyone who loves a little ballet, a little nostalgia, and a lot of Christmas spirit.

• Card Size: 5 inches × 7 inches (12.7 cm × 17.78 cm)
• Quantity: 18 cards with 19 envelopes
• Inside Verse: "'Tis the Season"
• Artwork: Nutcracker soldier with vintage glass ornaments and snowflakes on pink
• Collection: Candy Shoppe (design 3 of 8)