How to Display Nutcrackers (+ My Nutcracker Collection)
The Nutcracker has always been one of my favorite ballets. My mom and I dressed up and attended the ballet together for years, and I always picked up a new nutcracker at the show to add to my growing collection.
In Boise, I watched The Nutcracker performed by Ballet Idaho, and when I moved to Utah for grad school, I attended the shows performed by Ballet West. Korri and I now attend the Ballet Idaho shows together, sometimes with his parents.
I was so used to the version Ballet Idaho performed (I swear it didn’t change for years!) that the Ballet West show seemed so different to me when I first saw it! I quickly realized how fun it is to watch the same show with different costumes and sets.
Both Ballet Idaho and Ballet West recently changed their costumes and sets again. I maintain that the best Mother Ginger is the first one I saw at Ballet Idaho! (And we all agree that the second act is the best, right?)
I’ve been collecting wooden nutcrackers since I was a kid, and I’ve built up quite the collection over the years that I enjoy displaying every Christmas season. I currently have over 30 nutcrackers (plus one short one I use as filler when needed!).
Wondering how to display your own large nutcracker collection? I shared my display (and tips) along with a few other large nutcracker displays you can use as inspiration! Plus, read on to learn more about how my collection came to be.
This post was updated and recirculated on December 5, 2025.
READ NEXT: What to Wear to the Nutcracker Ballet
How to Display Nutcrackers
If you also have a nutcracker collection, there are a number of ways you can display them for the holiday season. I personally like to keep them grouped together, but you can also scatter them around your house if you have multiple areas with holiday displays.
The easiest way to display nutcrackers is on top of something—in my case, I display my 30+ nutcrackers on the top of our shelves by the fireplace. There isn’t usually much up there during the rest of the year, so it’s relatively quick and easy and doesn’t require me to move anything around.
You could also display your nutcrackers on top of the fireplace mantel, on top of the cabinets in the kitchen (though I will warn you, they may get kitchen grease on them if you use your kitchen frequently), on a table in the entryway, along a staircase, in a wall display, or on a cleared-out bookshelf. Another cute option is to set up a bar cart with nutcrackers!
If I had any really large nutcrackers, I’d put them on the floor by the fireplace or scatter them around/behind the Christmas tree. You can also add some more decor to really dress up the display, including garland or other greenery, ornaments, and twinkle lights.
As for making sure the displays look relatively even, I first split my nutcrackers into different heights and then divide them so there is an approximately equal number of tall nutcrackers, “medium” nutcrackers, and short nutcrackers on both sides of the fireplace.
Then, I start with the taller nutcrackers and place them at the back of the shelf, giving space between them so I can stagger the shorter nutcrackers in front. I don’t try to copy my displays from previous years and instead leave it up to chance! I love that they’re different every year.
I do try to avoid placing similar-looking nutcrackers near each other, and I try to avoid having one side all one color (red, for example). I like a good mix of colors and styles on both sides of my display.
Prefer to watch a video? Check out my time lapse reel on Instagram of me displaying my nutcrackers!
Shop nutcrackers under $50
My Nutcracker Collection
My memory is fuzzy, but I believe my first nutcracker was the one I got from my first The Nutcracker ballet with my mom, and I’m not really certain on which one that was exactly. (I marked the year I got it on some of the nutcrackers but of course I forgot to check them for this post before putting them up!)
Soon after, I received my tallest nutcracker, the one dressed in red with a fuzzy black hat, and I named it Nick (in honor of jolly ol’ Saint Nick, of course). The collection gradually grew from there—I was given new nutcrackers periodically as gifts, and I also inherited my grandmother’s nutcrackers. And of course, I added a new nutcracker every year at The Nutcracker ballet!
I gave some of my other nutcrackers names, and I’m fairly certain I have a list somewhere with all of their names, but of course I can’t locate it before hitting publish. I’ll be sure to update this post if I find it again! Riveting information, I know.
When I was younger up through grad school, my dad and step mom displayed the nutcrackers as part of their decor, and I was given my entire collection of nutcrackers when I moved in with Korri. Now they live on top of the bookshelves in our house! (Not year-round, of course. Though I think Korri wishes they did!)
Some of my favorites are the ones I got each year from the Ballet West performances. Ballet West had them specially made so each one notes the year of the performance. Those nutcrackers are in the dark blue coat, light blue coat, fuzzy white hat and white boots, and shiny gold coat. I wish Ballet Idaho had done the same thing! I think the lack of year on them is why I marked my early nutcrackers with the year I got them.
I also love the ones I got from my grandmother. They’re the oldest-looking ones in my collection, but I love their quirks! Quite a few of my nutcrackers have flaws (missing pieces, chips, etc.) but I’ve embraced them. They get packed away very safely in the off season to hopefully prevent more flaws from occurring.
Shop nutcrackers between $50 and $100
Add a new nutcracker (or two) to your collection!
Since most of my nutcrackers are either old or were specially made for the ballet, they’re not available to purchase (or at least, I couldn’t find them!). One of my Kurt Adler nutcrackers (which are technically Korri’s I guess since those were his picks the last couple of times we went to The Nutcracker)—the one with the dolphins on its head—is still available! Warning: The Kurt Adler nutcrackers are very glittery. Handle with caution. 😉
If you’re looking to add nutcrackers to your holiday decor, I couldn’t help but round up every cute nutcracker I saw for this post in the widgets throughout this post, so I broke them up by price range. The first group is under $50, the second is between $50 and $100, and the last is above $100 (but most are below $200).
I did see a couple of 6-foot tall nutcrackers going for way more, which would honestly be amazing haha! I’m definitely more of a nutcracker “purist”—I’m not drawn as much towards the nutcrackers that aren’t the traditional nutcracker look with the eyebrows and the moustache—but I think a couple of random ones snuck in there, too, just for fun. Happy shopping (and decorating)!