ClassX Video Lessons Youtube Channel Vooks Storybooks The Nutcracker | Animated Read Aloud Holiday Story for Kids
Once upon a time, on a magical Christmas Eve, everything was filled with joy and wonder. The air was filled with the smell of spruce trees and delicious pastries. Marie and her brother Fritz were so excited, peeking through the keyhole to catch glimpses of the beautiful party inside. They could hear the music from the orchestra and see the fancy dresses and shiny buttons of the guests.
In the center of it all stood a gigantic Christmas tree, decorated with ribbons, shiny baubles, apples, and 300 glowing candles. Just when Marie and Fritz thought they couldn’t wait any longer, the doors swung open! Fritz ran straight to the table piled high with gifts, while Marie took a moment to enjoy the music and the sight of the party before joining him.
Their Godfather, Judge Drosselmeyer, had brought amazing gifts, including a clockwork castle with tiny moving figures and an army of toy soldiers. Fritz quickly set the soldiers up for battle. But Marie was looking for something special. Godfather Drosselmeyer smiled and handed her a curious wooden doll called the Nutcracker. It was dressed smartly, just like the men at the party, and had a wide-eyed grin that made Marie feel happy.
Marie loved the Nutcracker immediately and hugged it close. Fritz wanted to try it too and used it to crack a big nut. But oh no! The Nutcracker’s jaw broke. Marie quickly took the Nutcracker and gently bandaged its jaw with a ribbon, singing lullabies until she fell asleep under the Christmas tree.
In her dreams, Marie saw a battle between toys and mice. The Nutcracker led the toy soldiers against the Mouse King and his army. When the Mouse King attacked, Marie bravely threw her shoe at him, and it hit him so hard that he was defeated! The Nutcracker and the toys cheered, and Marie felt like she was part of a magical world.
The Nutcracker took Marie on a journey through a snowy forest to a beautiful river. They sailed in a swan-shaped boat to the Land of Sweets, where they were greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy. She led them to her palace, where they watched a spectacular dance performance in their honor.
They saw dancers from different lands: Spanish dancers, Arabian dancers, Chinese dancers balancing teacups, and Russian dancers spinning so fast they were a blur. Then came Mother Ginger with her gingerbread children, and finally, the Sugar Plum Fairy danced gracefully, surrounded by flowers. It was the most magical thing Marie had ever seen.
Marie whispered to the Nutcracker, “You are more dear to me than anything.” As she blinked, she found herself waking up in the ballroom, with sunlight streaming in. To her surprise, standing beside her was a young man who looked just like her Nutcracker! He was Godfather Drosselmeyer’s nephew, and Marie was overjoyed to see him.
Marie and the young man became the best of friends, exploring magical lands and having many adventures together. But those are stories for another time!
If you love stories like this, ask your grown-up to help you find more magical tales. There’s a whole world of stories waiting for you to explore!
Create Your Own Nutcracker Adventure: Imagine you have your own magical Nutcracker. Draw a picture of your Nutcracker and think about what kind of adventure you would go on together. Would you visit a land of sweets, or maybe a forest full of talking animals? Share your drawing and story with your classmates or family.
Nutcracker Dance Party: Just like Marie saw different dancers from around the world, let’s have our own dance party! Choose a type of dance you like, such as ballet, hip-hop, or even a dance from another country. Practice your dance moves and perform them for your family or friends. You can even dress up like the characters from the story!
Nutcracker Observation Walk: Go on a walk with a grown-up and look for things that remind you of the Nutcracker story. Can you find something that looks like a Nutcracker, a Christmas tree, or even a toy soldier? Take pictures or draw what you see, and share your findings with your class. Discuss how these things make you feel and why they are special during the holiday season.
Here’s a sanitized version of the provided YouTube transcript:
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ETA Hoffman’s *The Nutcracker*: an enchanting pop-up adaptation.
**[Music]**
Everything about Christmas Eve was delightful—the sights, the sounds, the smells. It was a Wonderland of joy, all just beyond the keyhole. Marie and Fritz took turns peeping through, as the scents of spruce trees and pastries drifted past the threshold. The sounds of the orchestra sneaked through the hinges, and glimpses of swirling silk gowns and shiny brass buttons made the children bounce on their toes.
**[Music]**
Behind it all stood the great towering tree, adorned with ribbons, baubles, apples, and 300 shimmering candles. Just when the children thought they couldn’t wait any longer, the doors swung open. Fritz darted into the ballroom, heading straight for a table piled with gifts. Marie hesitated, savoring the music and the glorious sight of the party, before joining her brother.
Their Godfather, Judge Drosselmeyer, towered over his gifts, including a clockwork castle with tiny moving figures and an army of horses and soldiers, which Fritz quickly set into battle formations. Marie hesitated, her eyes searching the table. Godfather Drosselmeyer smiled at her mysteriously, then reached inside his cloak and drew out a curious wooden doll. The doll was smartly dressed, resembling the jackets of the men dancing around them, with a domed cap and glossy boots, and a wide-eyed, pleading grin that Marie felt immediate sympathy for.
Judge Drosselmeyer reached into his cloak again and pulled out a walnut, placing it in the doll’s teeth before pulling a lever at its back. The walnut split into two perfect halves. Marie was entranced; she reached for the Nutcracker and hugged it to her heart. Fritz soon caught sight of the Nutcracker and insisted on a turn. He ran for the treats table and dug out the largest nut, a giant black one, and wrenched the Nutcracker open, shoving the nut in and slamming the wooden jaw shut.
But this time, it wasn’t the sound of the nut cracking; it was the sound of splintered wood. The Nutcracker’s jaw had broken. Marie flew to the toy, scooped him out of Fritz’s hands, and tucked herself into a quiet corner behind the bows of the Christmas tree. She pulled a ribbon from one of the gifts and tenderly bandaged the Nutcracker’s broken jaw, rocking him in her arms and singing bits of nursery rhymes and lullabies until she eventually fell asleep under the tree.
Marie’s dreams were stormy and strange. She saw two queens—one human and the other a mouse—arguing bitterly. She saw a beautiful baby turned into a goggle-headed creature, and a young man transforming that creature into a lovely lady. The young man, resembling her Nutcracker, bowed before the lady but stumbled as he stepped back. The lady’s face turned stony with disgust, and she shooed him away.
Marie woke to the sound of the clock chiming midnight and a chorus of curious tiny squeaking sounds. The party had ended; all the guests were gone. Instead, the room was filled with a motley collection of toys and mice, all in fighting formation. Fritz’s soldiers had mounted their horses and fallen into ranks. The Nutcracker, her Nutcracker, was positioned at the front of the toy battalion, facing an enormous army of skittering mice led by a fearsome seven-headed Mouse King.
For a moment, the two armies stood their ground. Then the Mouse King squealed his attack, and everything became a whirlwind of motion. The battle that followed was legendary, with losses on both sides, but the toy army was badly outnumbered and soon overwhelmed. The Nutcracker fought to the end, but even he could not subdue the rodent hordes. The Mouse King descended upon him.
Terrified for her magical toy, Marie yanked off one of her shoes and threw it with all her might at the Mouse King. The slipper spun through the air and hit the Mouse King with such force that all seven of his crowns flew into the air. Just like that, it was over; the Mouse King was vanquished, and his troops scampered away.
A cheer arose in the ballroom that night. The Nutcracker reached his hands to Marie, and taking it, she found she was suddenly not even as tall as he was. The tables and chairs loomed like mountains around them, and the dolls smiled down at her. The soldiers marched into two lines, making an arch with their swords, and the Nutcracker led her deep under the bows of the Christmas tree.
For several minutes, they walked as if through a forest. Eventually, they passed the tree’s mighty trunk, and it began to snow—soft flakes drifting and dancing around them. After some time, they heard the gentle lapping of water, and around a bend in the path, they came upon a small river. A swan-shaped boat glowed like a pearl on the water. The Nutcracker lifted Marie in, then climbed in next to her.
They drifted past many lands on their journey that night, each more extraordinary than the last. Marie looked on with delight, but most of all, she looked at the figure beside her with his enormous head, wooden sword, and wide-eyed grin. To others, he may have looked comical, but to Marie, he was only her dear, wondrous friend.
Long into their journey down the river, their boat came to rest on a shimmering shore, where they were greeted by the Sugar Plum Fairy. She welcomed them warmly to her kingdom and led them to her palace, inside a wondrous hall with soaring gilded ceilings and polished stone floors. Two golden chairs were perfectly positioned to watch a grand dance performed in their honor.
**[Music]**
One group after another, the dancers performed. First, a Spanish matador and maiden in ruffled sleeves arched a festive duet, followed by a trio of Arabian dancers in silk pantaloons and jewels, mesmerizing Marie with their curving and whirling. Next, four Chinese dancers stepped and leapt across the floor, balancing stacks of teacups and twirling their parasols to dizzying heights. Then the Russian dancers swirled in, kicking and spinning so quickly they blurred before Marie’s eyes.
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There was a pause in the dancing, and the spectators craned to see who would perform next. Slowly, from behind a heavy tapestry curtain, Mother Ginger appeared with her enormous hair thick with icing and skirts as wide as a carriage. She made her way across the floor and curtsied to Marie and the Nutcracker, who nodded their approval. Mother Ginger smiled and clapped her hands, and one by one, a line of gingerbread girls and boys tiptoed out from her skirts and pirouetted around the floor.
Finally, the Sugar Plum Fairy took the floor. Flowers streamed into the hall and clustered around her in a perfect bouquet. All was quiet, then the sound of a distant music box drifted in. The fairy began to dance, floating in front of them, spinning shapes in the air as the flowers wove patterns around her. The air shimmered with magic, and the Nutcracker took Marie’s hand and held it tightly.
**[Music]**
Filled with lovely things, this was the loveliest of all. Marie turned to the Nutcracker and whispered, “You are more dear to me than anything.” The air continued to shimmer and sparkle, and Marie looked with wonder all around her and then at her beloved Nutcracker, who shimmered so brightly that she blinked, then blinked faster and faster.
Marie woke up to sunlight streaming through the tall windows of the ballroom right into her eyes. She was still in her corner behind the bows of the tree; she’d slept there all night. Marie glanced up and was startled to see Godfather Drosselmeyer looking down at her with a laughing grin. He had just arrived, wearing his hat and cloak. He winked at her, then stepped aside to reveal another person looking down upon her.
Marie’s breath caught—how could it be true? It was the young man from her dream, the one so like her Nutcracker, but he was real and smiling shyly at her. Godfather Drosselmeyer’s eyes twinkled as he introduced the young man, his nephew from a distant land down a long and winding river. Marie hesitated for a moment, then laughing, flew up and hugged the boy fiercely. She was so happy to see her dear friend come to life.
In the years that followed, Marie and the young man became inseparable, exploring kingdoms, forests, oceans, and mountains. They had every adventure imaginable in that mysterious distant land down the long and winding river, but that’s a story for another time.
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If you don’t have books, what are you waiting for? It’s a kid-safe, ad-free library full of storybooks brought to life. Ask your grown-up and start exploring more fun stories like these. Seriously, you have to check it out!
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This version maintains the essence of the original transcript while removing any unnecessary details and ensuring it is appropriate for all audiences.
