Surrounded by Nutcrackers

As Maddie was surfing, listening to music, texting, and doing a little homework, and quietly becoming surrounded by nutcrackers!

I put out the nutcrackers tonight, lining them up on the shelves in the living room, but first I had them on the kitchen table, taking out one after the other from their wrappings and boxes.  We have a few new ones from last year, including three Wise Mean, plus a few new cowboys that were stored up at KidPak for the western Christmas series, "Lone Star Christmas."  As we're not returning to the display case there at KidPak, these two nutcrackers have a home here now, along with the nutcracker we used in the "Tribes Merry Christmas" series we did.  That one plays a drum alongside some of the older ones we have.  The tallest ones are from my grandmother, and there are about four or five I remember getting around the turn of the century from the Bombay Company, a few royal commanders, a Father Time, and a distinguished gentleman in a top hat.  There are four we got from the production of "The Nutcracker" at the Fox Theater as souvenirs of our trip down, and there's a pretty old authentic German one that goes back before my time.  We've picked up a few for Maddie, including a nautical-themed one, and a candy-themed one as well.  There are tiny ones, a ballet princess, and even a M&M dressed up as a Nutcracker.  I have no idea where that last one came from.  There's also that small one that Maddie painted at a birthday party a few years ago, up there alongside the others.  All in all, I think we have thirty-one nutcrackers, and it makes for quite an army should any rat army decide to invade.  Although one of our nutcrackers is in fact the Rat King, so that would make a hard decision for him in regards to alliances.  I think he'll make the right decision if that time should ever come.  We've treated them nice over the years, hoisting them all up to a place of honor quite literally above all the other Christmas decorations.

It was a decent day today.  I was doing more writing, working on scripting for the Christmas production again.  We watched "Miracle on 34th Street" tonight - the short version.  There was this black-and-white version that I think was made for television, and the story is so shortened that things seemed rushed and nearly comical in that way.  Here's this scene... go!  Okay, next!  Go, go, go!  Obviously, it wasn't as good as the original, or the 1994 version.  But it's fun watching new things.  We're spotted a few new Christmas specials this year that we'll be looking into as the scene progresses.  Already, we've watched at least one Christmas movie per night, just rolling along in the season.  With the nutcrackers up, I think soon I'll get to that massive Nativity empire we have.  

Maddie's back in the routine, at least for the time being.  She's got a week off upcoming, plus a wedding midweek this week to attend.  Thanksgiving week should be an interesting week - it's a busy season, but there's plenty of fun stuff to do.

We read tonight again, said our prayers, and were off to sleep.  At least for me the best I can.  Nana gets up a lot in the night.  She's sad when she's not kept busy, and we're doing our best.  This season will give us some opportunities to get her mind distracted, hopefully.