Originating in Germany in the 15th century, these figures were considered amulets, although later they became associated with Christmas thanks to literature, various children's stories and the tradition of German craftsmen, who carved nutcrackers out of wood around the year 1700

This Christmas icon is believed to grant protection and strength to the owners of the houses.

The Nutcracker and the Mouse King (German: Nussknacker und Mausekönig) is a short story written by Ernst Theodor Amadeus Hoffmann in 1816. The story is about young Marie Stahlbaum's new toy, the Nutcracker, received on Christmas Eve that collects life and, after defeating the Mouse King in a fierce battle, takes her to a magical kingdom populated by dolls.

In 1892 the Russian composer Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky and the choreographers Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov, based on an adaptation entitled History of a Nutcracker (1844) written by Alejandro Dumas, turned this story into the ballet The Nutcracker, which 'has become perhaps the most popular to be performed at Christmas time.