This year I finally did a Nutcracker Ballet Christmas Tree & Tablescape theme. I’ve been wanting to do this theme for years now, but knew it would be a lot of work. Growing up in New York, I would see the Nutcracker Ballet at Radio City Music Hall almost every year and it’s remained one of my favorite productions with such nostalgic memories.
I am so happy with how this year’s Nutcracker Ballet Christmas theme turned out and plan on doing different variations in the future. Here are some of my top tips and advice on finding the various decor to put this together yourself.
Nutcracker Ballet Christmas Theme Tips
When you’re putting together a new Christmas Theme, I first create a list of ideas, which you will find below. Then, when I am out looking for items or searching the web, I can base my decor on what I find. Shopping for Christmas decor can get very expensive, so it’s best to go in with a game plan. Here are some of my top tips.
- Create your Christmas Tree based on what you can find that fits your theme.
- Combine very cheap ornaments with more expensive ornaments. Especially basic colored balls which you can often find at the dollar store, target, and amazon.
- It’s ok to collect ornaments over time instead of getting them all at once.
- Make your own decorations such as the Tulle I used as the garland which was only $6 for a huge roll.
- Shop after Christmas or on Black Friday/Cyber Monday
Nutcracker Ballet Popular Characters & Themes
If you’re putting together a Nutcracker Ballet Christmas Tree, here are some ideas on items to look for. These are popular figures and scenes throughout the ballet.
- Nutcrackers
- Mouse King
- Ballerina’s, Ballet Dancers, Ballet Shoes
- Tulle
- Sugar Plum Fairy
- Swans
- Mother Ginger
- Clara
- Clara’s Uncle
- Candy (gum drops, pink marshmallows, candy canes)
- Ballet Dancers (Russian, Arabian, Chinese, & Spanish)
- Snowflakes, Snow King & Queen
What Order Should You Decorate Your Christmas Tree?
Here is the order in which I decorate my tree. You may be surprised, but I start with the tree topper!
- Tree Topper: Many tree toppers are elaborate, and the easiest way to put on your tee topper is before completely putting the tree together. I put the tree top together off the tree, then attach it. Not only is it easier, but it’s much safer and allows you to create a topper that is more spectacular!
- Lights: Next you want to add your lights
- Garland: You’re garland is what will helps fill on your tree and take up space. For this tree I made garland accents out of tulle. You can also use ribbon, traditional garland, or even string balls together like I did here.
- Large Ornaments: After adding your garland, you want to add your largest ornamewnts such as balls & flowers
- Small Ornaments: Now you can begin filling in all the other space on the tree with your smaller ornaments and decorative balls.
- Ornaments That Stick Out: To fill in the gaps, you finally want to add in the decorative accents which stick out from the tree.
Nutcracker Ballet Christmas Tree Theme
For my Nutcracker Ballet Christmas Tree, I went with a pink theme accented by tulle. The tulle was very cheap and came in a huge roll. I also found adorable pink ballet slippers at Target, Nutcrackers from Amazon, and Swans & Glitter Ballet Dresses from a store I discover online called At Home.
Over the years, I’ve collected many beautiful decorative balls from Home Goods. I tend to gravitate towards unique decorative balls with accents like pearls which bring an elegance to the tree.
Making the Tulle
To make the tulle garland, I folded the tulle accordian style and then put a thin metal wire through the bottom to help holds it’s shape and place it in the tree. I’ll be honest, this was the most time consuming part of putting the tree together, but I absolutely love the way it turned out.
Nutcracker Ballet Tree Topper
For the Nutcracker Ballet tree topper, I decided to tie on a pair of childrens ballet shoes which I found on Amazon for only $7. Feel free to get creative. You could tie on a large Ballerina doll or a giant Nutcracker!
Nutcracker Ballet Themed Ornaments
Now if you do not mind splurging on a few special Nutcracker Ballet ornaments, the two best places to select some extra special ornaments are the Kurt Adler Nutcracker Ballet Collection or directly from the Nutcracker Ballet. You can actually find both of these on Amazon and many are listed on places like eBay. I ordered my Mouse King ornaments directly from the Nutcracker Ballet store and hope to find a Mother Ginger ornament when I go see the ballet this year at Segerstrom in Orange County.
Nutcracker Ballet Tablescape
The things you can do for a Nutcracker Ballet Tablescape are endless. Often I’ll have an idea which I adjust based on what I can find. My initial idea was to recreate an entire Nutcracker Ballet scene, but this was much harder than it seemed. I will try to eventually do this another year, but for this year, I purchased pink cheesecloth for the table runner, pink napkins, and created a whimsical mix of various larger nutcrackers, snowglobes, decor, and candy.
Most of these items I found on Amazon and while searching through Home Goods such as the Uncle Nutcracker, Mouse King Nutcracker, and Nutcracker Ballet musical tree.
Nutcracker Ballet Table Setting
For the Table Setting, my family loves those Christmas crackers and I found some Nutcracker themed crackers at Home Goods. I also found these beautiful snowflake placemats and napkin rings from Homegoods. I recommend staying away from things with Nutcracker Ballet themed patterns and going with ideas that are inspired by various scenes from the Nutcracker Ballet. This will help your table setting feel more elegant and less like it’s for a kid’s party. It’s also helpful to pick items that could be used for other Christmas and holiday themes.
I hope these ideas and photos help inspire you to create the most beautiful Nutcracker Ballet Christmas Tree & Tablescape that you can enjoy for many years to come. Christmas is such a magical time, and this theme is timeless. My advice is always to be creative and use what you can find. it is way too easy to spend a fortune on Christmas decorations, so purchase as many balls and items as you can from more affordable stores like Home Goods, The Dollar Tree, & Amazon.
Sondra Barker
