Linda Madlock has been collecting nutcrackers since 1982. She received her first one when she became engaged to her husband. “That Christmas we went to downtown Pittsburgh to see The Nutcracker and I fell in love with it,” says Linda. That year, Linda received her engagement ring for Christmas and her very first nutcracker. Since that Christmas in 1982, Linda has gotten a nutcracker every year.
Nutcracker dolls originated in Germany in the late 17th century and thanks to their increasing popularity, spread into the rest of Europe by the 19th century. In addition to their job to crack nuts, they are considered good luck and serve as household protectors to frighten away evil spirits. As the popularity grew, their traditional toy soldier design expanded to include miners, police officers, royalty, historical figures, and pop culture icons. Originally created to be functional, by the mid-20th century many modern nutcrackers became merely ornamental and unable to crack nuts.
Nutcrackers were often given as gifts and eventually became associated with Christmas.
Their link to the Christmas season gained traction with the introduction of Tchaikovsky’s The Nutcracker, a ballet adaptation of E. T. A. Hoffmann’s story The Nutcracker and the Mouse King. The story features a toy soldier nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas. The ballet, introduced to America during the mid-20th century, quickly became a holiday favorite and forever cemented the link between nutcrackers and Christmas.
Linda began displaying her nutcrackers at the library during the holiday season about three years ago. “I’m friends with Kathy Douglas and we talked from time to time,” she shares. “One year I asked I mentioned my nutcracker collection and asked her if the library would be interested in displaying them. She quickly agreed and I’ve been displaying them each year since then.” Linda adds, “The library receives a lot of compliments about the collection, as do I.”
Her collection encompasses an assortment of colorful, diverse German-made nutcrackers and includes a snowman, a knight, football player, and more. Linda loves each nutcracker in her collection and finds it difficult to pick a favorite when asked. “It’s so hard to choose, I love them all,” she says. “But I really like the chimney sweep and the three nutcrackers from the ballet – the Mouse King, Clara, and Uncle Drosselmeyer.”
Make sure to stop by the Eva K. Bowlby Library between now and January to view the nutcracker collection. Take some time to look at each one and choose your own favorite! FMI, call Bowlby Library at 724.627.9776 or visit them at 311 N. West Street, Waynesburg, PA, 15370.
