DEC242009

DEC242009, originally uploaded by colemama.

Exemplifying form and function, art and practical...the nutcrackers are fascinating. Their modest history of cracking nuts has truly taken on new meaning with E.T.A. Hoffman's original story, "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King" (and the now popular 'The Nutcracker Suite' ballet). The craftsmanship devoted to the nutcrackers is not only a time-honored procedure but likely a lost art with the move towards more mass production. Nevertheless, their symbolic watchfulness is associated with the holiday cheer. Bloomingdale, NJ