For many, Tchaikovsky’s ballet The Nutcracker was their first introduction to dancing wooden figures that resemble toy soldiers, but the history of these carved collectibles dates back centuries before the show’s 1892 debut. Seventeenth-century German craftsmen sculpted similar models that often were seen as good luck symbols in their homeland. Eventually, the popularity of these miniature military men spread beyond Germany’s borders and, somewhere along the way, they became associated with Christmas, a connection that is still celebrated today. Bernardaud’s sophisticated Grenadiers dinnerware, shown here, is a classic example of the whimsical nutcracker’s enduring association with the holiday.