A Tupelo woman looks forward to displaying her festive Steinbach nutcrackers around her home every holiday season.
Written by Leslie Criss | Photographed by Joe Worthem
Karen Alvarez is not ashamed to admit she’s a collector. In fact, with great joy, she proudly proclaims her proclivity to own multiples of certain things she appreciates: oyster plates, matchbox covers, antiques, McCarty pottery and all manner of art.
“And I’ve never met a pretty set of China that I could pass up,” Alvarez said, laughing.
And then there is her most extensive collection of all — her Steinbach nutcrackers. Truth be told, the collection that comes out every Christmas season must be credited to Richie Alvarez, her husband of 33 years.
“It was our first year married and Christmas was coming,” Alvarez said. “Richie and I went to Village Green to look for a Christmas tree. While we were there, he bought a nutcracker for our first Christmas. The first one was a soldier.”
That began a tradition that has continued for more than three decades.
“He loves to find nutcrackers unique to our life,” she said. “My mom likes to knit; our kids love all things ‘Star Wars.’ But we also have the traditional nutcrackers of the Three Wise Men. Through the years, we’ve gone from one extreme to the other.”
Nutcrackers were first designed in the shape of people, birds and other animals. Their purpose was simple: to crack nuts at dessert time. Later, in the 1700s, nutcrackers began to be made to depict soldiers and were used to protect homes from bad energy and spirits. They were thought to bring good luck to the families who owned them.
Nutcrackers became associated with Christmas in 1892 with the release of the Tchaikovsky ballet, “The Nutcracker,” productions of which families would see during the Christmas season. And later, with the growing popularity of the ballet, the nutcracker became a part of other Christmas decorations.
Though Alvarez has never taken the time to count the nutcrackers, there are at least 100 of them. When they are not adding holiday festivity to her Tupelo home, the nutcrackers are carefully stored inside, under beds and in closets in their original boxes. For the Christmas curious, Alvarez’s non-nutcracker decorations occupy 47 boxes in a storage unit. She also likes to collect Nativity scenes and Radko ornaments.
The Alvarez collection is not made up of just any nutcrackers: They are Steinbachs.
Steinbach is a family-owned German company that has been creating nutcrackers and other wooden figures for the past 200 years. The nutcrackers became popular in Russia, Poland and Norway, and in the 1950s, American soldiers stationed in Germany began bringing Steinbach nutcrackers home to the United States.
They are hand-carved and hand-painted in Germany, usually from beech or maple, and have been lauded for their detail, durability and whimsey. While wonderful decorations, they are also fully functional. Today, Steinbach creations have been inspired by popular culture, celebrities, sports figures, fictional characters and more.
All those years ago in Village Green, Karen Alvarez did not consciously choose Steinbach, but she liked them — they have a look that is recognizable. And the annual nutcracker giving and receiving tradition became a family affair.
“Richie grew up Catholic, and one year I got the Pope nutcracker,” she said. “And our kids, now grown, still participate in the opening of the nutcrackers each Christmas.”
Daughter Bridges, 28, has the “Wizard of Oz” nutcrackers, while son Fuller, 23, has the Steinbach “Star Wars” collection.
And there’s the more traditional 12 Days of Christmas series.
While there is affection for the entire collection, there are, of course, favorites.
“I love the Russian Santa with its beautiful velvet clothes, and it is so ornate,” she said. “And I especially love the Three Wise Men. And I can’t leave out the soldier — my very first one.”
Alvarez looks forward each year to reintroducing herself to her nutcrackers as she decorates the family home. It’s a time-consuming task, but one she takes on with gusto.
“I have to put lots of stuff up to make space for the nutcrackers,” she said. “And they have their own place every year — the same special place.”
On Christmas mornings, Alvarez walks around her house to find just the right spot for the new nutcrackers so the next Christmas she will know right where they will go.
An elementary school teacher for 28 years, Alvarez now does some consulting in schools around the state. In early November, she was already getting excited about unboxing her Christmas decorations, especially her nutcrackers. She said she feels like she became a collector of them by accident, but it has been a happy accident.
“I so appreciate the craftsmanship of them, the material and fabrics used,” she said. “They stay pretty. The first one is still as pretty as the newest one I have. They truly stand the test of time.”
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