One of my favorite things about the holidays is listening to Christmas music. I love all of the traditional songs and one of my play on repeat selections is The Nutcracker Suite by Tchaikovsky.

Even if you aren’t a fan of the ballet, The Nutcracker is a must listen to performance as well as a must see. Luckily for us Nashvillians, our own Nashville Ballet has an incredible production of this timeless classic that incorporates some of our city’s historical landmarks in the Nashville Nutcracker.

I first saw The Nutcracker when I was 11 years old with my dad at TPAC downtown (I still have my ticket stub in a scrapbook…remember those?) so I was thrilled to be invited to a sneak peak media night last Friday to get a first look at Nashville Ballet Artistic Director Paul Vasterling’s spin on The Nutcracker. This is the 10th anniversary of Nashville’s Nutcracker and if you haven’t seen it, you must add it to your Christmas bucket list! I took my 12-year-old daughter and her best friend and they absolutely loved it. Plus it was a chance to have a fun girls’ night out and get dressed up and head downtown, something we don’t do very often!

Yes, Virginia, I am this old. I showed my younger daughter my ticket stub to The Nutcracker from 1980 and she said, “Oh mom…you’re so old!”

The production opens at the historic Belle Meade Plantation, a delightful local historic nod to our beautiful city. There are lots of historical references woven throughout the show and it’s a great way to introduce your kids to local history. There are also quite a few young local dancers in the production and it’s great to see such talent!

Photo by Heather Thorne.

One magical element that will thrill kids of all ages is the addition of snow! Thanks to some pretty ingenious technology, “snow” falls in the orchestra level during the Snow Scene in Act I. The lighting and the music and all of the effects make for a beautiful experience.

Photo by Heather Thorne.

The music, provided by the Nashville Symphony, the costumes, the stage backgrounds and special effects are all magical and you’ll feel the holiday spirit throughout the performance.

Showtimes are now through December 23. Visit the Nashville Ballet website for more information! If you have guests coming in for the holidays it’s a wonderful way to spend a few hours in beautiful downtown Nashville.