Description

Thick woodlands cover the Erzgebirge Mountains bordering Germany and the Czech Republic. For many centuries this region was known for its rich deposits of silver and tin, but by the end of the 16th century, the deposits were depleted. As the miners and town’s people lost their source of income, they looked for other ways to provide for their families. They turned to a miner’s “hobby” of carpentry and wood carving and developed nutcracker making in a regional art form. Wood turning also became a skilled job and allowed toys and figures to be produced more rapidly. In 1760, toys were taken by horse and cart to trade centers in Nuremberg and Leipzig. In 1809, craftsmen were allowed to show and sell their toys at the Dresden Christmas market. Soon, the beautiful toys were sought by people all over Europe. In 1816, a book entitled, “The Nutcracker and the King of Mice” was published and soon became a Christmas favorite The story inspired one of the leading carvers and toy makes to Seiffen (in Erzgebirge), Wilhelm Fuchtner, to make the first prototypes of the Erzgebirge nutcrackers. The popularity of these figures has allowed the  Fuchtner family’s fifth generation to continue designing and producing these now classic nutcrackers. Collecting nutcrackers has become a passion for many families. So it’s not surprising to see The Nutcracker Santa adding a few special Erzgebirge nutcrackers to the mantle. The traditional nutcracker soldier and king figures keep company with the more unusual snowman nutcracker. But none will be more distinctive than the figure Santa is placing on the mantle, the Santa Nutcracker. For what would Christmas be without a little bit of Santa here and there and everywhere?

Collection: Memories of Christmas

Item #: 13960

Height:11 inches

Made of cold cast resin

Edition Limit: 1 year

Introduced in 2005