The week before Christmas, I took my nine year old granddaughter Talia to see The Nutcracker at the Fox Theater in Atlanta.
I watched her dress up in the holiday outfit I bought for her to wear to the performance. She hoisted up a long sleeved, black taffeta dress from the floor to her shoulders. The skirt had a stiff tulle overlay. Then she put on a sleeveless back fur vest and red sequined shoes. I brushed her long, brown hair into a side pony tail and clipped on a red sequined barrette.We arrived at the Fox at 1:00 p.m. for the 2:00 p.m. performance. A huge crowd milled around outside near the box office and inside the lobby: parents carrying small children, grandparents with grandchildren in tow, groups of young students, and adults wanting to generate some Christmas spirit.
We maneuvered our way through the crowd surrounding the gift shop. I wanted Talia to select something significant that would recreate the memorable performance she was about to see. Her eye caught a sparkling Nutcracker ornament suspended from a red and green ribbon hanging above the display case. She told me she wanted to hang the ornament on the miniature Christmas tree in her bedroom. I hoped that the ornament would be a yearly reminder of this day.
As we moved toward the theater entrance, we stood for a few minutes to listen to a child choir sing Christmas carols. Surrounded by Christmas trees decorated with colorful lights, the holiday music, and a crowd dressed for the occasion, I could sense Talia’s excitement.
After settling into our seats, I gave Talia some background about the performance she was about to experience.
The Russian Stahlbaum family has a Christmas Eve party. The children, Clara and Fritz, dance around as they await the arrival of their godfather, Drosselmeyer, a toymaker. He gives Clara a Nutcracker which becomes the hit of the party. Fritz, her brother, receives a drum. Angry that Clara receives a better gift, Fritz yanks it away from Clara and breaks it. Their godfather waves a handkerchief and the Nutcracker is magically restored.
As the family goes to bed, Clara sneaks downstairs and falls asleep holding the Nutcracker in her arms. At midnight, magical things start to happen. The toys come to life and an army of mice battle them. The Nutcracker fights the mice, but they capture him.
In the land of Snow, the Nutcracker turns into a prince, and takes Clara to a winter wonderland, then to the Land of Sweets, where she meets the Sugar Plum Fairy, who performs six dances.
At this point, Talia begins to hum the familiar music from the dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy. I tell her that the story ends when Clara wakes up from her dream holding the Nutcracker.
As the performance begins, Talia whispers to me, “Grandma, I’m so excited! This is my first ballet!”Milestones in life create memories. I told myself when Talia was born, that I would endow her with memorable experiences.
Yesterday, we spent the entire day placing holiday pictures of her in albums. Over the years, we have put together picture albums depicting every year of her life. She’s growing into a beautiful, intelligent young lady. I know that as she grows older, she may distance herself as young people do when they become more independent and fill their lives with many activities. I am going to try my best to keep her grounded. She may not realize the value of these experiences with Grandma until she’s an adult. But when she does, she will understand the significance of time over toys.
