We have been Nutcracker crazy over here for years. We started playing the playlist on repeat around Halloween this year and Olivia is often in costume dancing around the house. (When asked earlier at school this week what her perfect /best day would look like, Olivia said “when I’m Clara in The Nutcracker!”) The obsession is real for our little ballerina.

Attending the ballet is one of our favorite holiday traditions, and missing it this year seems to be one of the biggest devastations to Olivia. We have been enjoying Nutcracker performances from around the world (The Royal Ballet in London on Marquee TV is fabulous!), reading our books and listening to music on repeat, and even saw Art at The Mart with images courtesy of the Joffrey Ballet.

Of course there is no real replacement for attending the ballet, but when I realized how sad she was to be missing this, I decided to finally execute my idea for a little Nutcracker themed tea party. (Holiday tea with my family is another treasured tradition we are sad to be missing this year- though we will be re creating via zoom!) This seemed like the perfect little soiree and she was thrilled when I mentioned the idea to her.

She loved it so much and it brought me such joy to see her so happy. She decided to forego her originally planned fancy outfit for her Clara nightgown (we searched high and low for!) and bow and it was so sweet. We had such a fun time she asked if we could do it again today. And that’s exactly what we did.

Nutcracker music on, sugar plum fairy blend in the diffuser (peppermint, orange and cinnamon) and a very sweet petite party. The Sugar Plum sparkling drink from Trader Joe’s was a big hit…I’m hoping we can run and snag some more! I made some of our favorite tea sandwiches and then used holiday and ballet cookie cutters (like tutus and trees) to make them festive. We had lots of candy (we love the land of sweets, after all!) some delicious cookies, fruit and it was really fun. Simple, sweet, and special.

I couldn’t resist these sugar plum fairy wands or these sweet cutouts that added a fun element to the table. We have gotten so much use out of these sweet ballet cupcake toppers we purchased for her birthday a few years ago. I just love them on the flatware.

Happy Christmas week, sweet friends!

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