Whimsical Nutcracker Themed Christmas Tree

Traditions are what make Christmas so magical, and one of my favorite traditions is getting all dressed up and going to see the Nutcracker ballet.  This year I was inspired by the magic of the Nutcracker ballet and decided to bring the characters to life with this whimsical Nutcracker Themed Christmas Tree.

I teamed up with Oriental Trading to create and style this jewel-toned Christmas tree complete with dancing snowflake ballerinas, handpainted Nutcrackers and DIY drums.  I’m going to give you a sneak peek of my favorite parts, but be sure to check out the post on Fun365 to see all of the details and products used to create this magical Christmas tree.  

One of my favorite things about this time of the year is all of the traditions we have that help make celebrating with family and friends so magical.  I can still remember the very first time I went to see the Nutcracker ballet as a young girl.  We made the two-hour drive to Houston and I was giddy with excitement and anticipation the entire way.  

I remember sitting on the edge of my seat the entire performance and being mesmerized by the music, the dancer and the beautiful costumes.  Every year since I look forward to attending the performance, and this year I was inspired by my love of this classic ballet and the whimsical Nutcracker themed party line at Oriental Trading and decided to bring it all to life on my Christmas tree.

I love using unexpected items to decorate my Christmas trees.  Just because you can’t find what you are looking for in the ornament aisle, it doesn’t mean that you can’t create the tree of your dreams.  I knew I wanted a Nutcracker themed tree, but I couldn’t find any ornaments that I liked so I headed to Oriental Trading and found lots of DIY materials that I can transform into beautiful ornaments for my tree.  I made everything from gold glittered ornaments to handpainted Nutcrackers.  Check out this tutorial to see how I created 5 handmade ornaments for my Nutcracker themed tree.

Also, don’t be afraid to use unusual or unexpected items in your tree.  I used napkins and favor boxes to make unique ornaments that make a statement on this whimsical tree.  

When it comes to decorating for the holidays I love to find a theme that I can carry throughout the entire space.  Once I knew the theme for my Christmas tree I decided to carry that throughout the decorations on my mantel.  Once again, I couldn’t find exactly what I wanted so I got creative and made decorations using unexpected items from the Oriental Trading Nutcracker party line.

One of my favorite things about this display is the incorporation of treasured keepsakes, after all, isn’t that what makes part of Christmas so magical.  I used the rocking horse my dad made for me as a kid one Christmas and surrounded it with handmade signs and gifts.  I love seeing something that has so much meaning and love displayed with my Christmas tree.

Each year I absolutely love coming up with a new theme for my Christmas tree and I love how this jewel-toned Nutcracker Themed Christmas Tree turned out.  It is definitely different from my traditional Farmhouse themed Christmas Trees, but it reminds me of one of my favorite holiday traditions and brings me so much joy.