It’s almost sacrilege for the Christmas season to go by without seeing the Nutcracker. It’s a tradition that not only brings families together but keeps ballet relevant in the modern world. Whether you go as a whole family or as a child-parent/aunt/grandparent date, it’s hard not to fall in love with the magical story over and over. Everyone has a different favorite part of the ballet. From the Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy to the exotic desserts dancing (not dancers!), it’s a Holiday-Spirit filled good time.

The Storyline

If you’ve somehow never seen The Nutcracker, here’s how it goes. Clara and Michael’s parents throw a Christmas party, and Clara’s uncle gives her a Nutcracker doll. As Clara falls into a sweets-fueled sleep, she dreams that the Mouse King is coming to capture her, only to have the Nutcracker save her.

She’s then shown a wonderful world of different desserts and people, which are all shown to her through dance. Clara dances her way through different worlds and begins to fall in love with her nutcracker prince, though she’s sure this is just a dream. And in fact, she does wake up at the end of the ballet – but to find her nutcracker prince no longer injured.