The Nutcracker

This year I took Holly to the Nutcracker. She is really into Ballet, and when I was little we used to go and see the Nutcracker in New York so it was something I wanted her to experience but I wasn't sure if she was ready yet. She is still pretty traumatized when it comes to shows and although Disney on ice was a success I wasn't sure this would be enough to distract her into enjoying herself.

So I did a lot of prep work. We watched several video's on Youtube which gave her an idea of what the show was like and what to expect. i then warned her there would be a curtain and it would open and the show would start. I told her she would have Blankie if she was scared and if it was loud she would have her head phones. I told her a little about the story and that the Christmas tree would be growing. The show was in a fancy theatre at the Lesher performing Arts Center in Walnut Creek but it was an afternoon special for a Homeschooling group and we ended up paying only $14.50 a ticket so it was a small enough amount that I prepared myself to have to leave if needed. We were also going with a friend Joaquin that Holly was excited to see. Originally I was going to go early and talked to the house management about letting us in to familiarize her with the stage, but then decided that the wait before the show started my cause even more anxiety.

Besides that we ended up running late and by the time I changed her into her beautiful silver dress our friends were already being seated and we had to rush through the crowds inside. She was excited to be dressed up in her silver dress and wearing her "Tiara" headband. It ended up being good that we were behind as the dash into the theater "Searching" for Joaquin was such a fun "game" that she didn't even notice us going into the theater until we were at our seats and she was actually doing ok.

The show started at 1:00 and we were in our seats by 1:40 and we were in the first row! My friend Griselda was the first person waiting in line to get in and saved us the best seats. Since it was a special performance it was first come first serve unassigned seats. She was excited to see the curtain we talked about and asked if the ballerina's were behind it getting ready.

She did not want to go to the stage like the other kids to take pictures with the giant toys. She did get a little anxious waiting and wanted her phone and blanket but didn't ask for her headphones. The moment the show started she was enthralled. She loved it. At first she was a little scared of the Mouse King when he came out preshow right in front of our seats, but she hid and I told her the mouse was "GusGus" from Cinderella, which she was enthusiastic about. Once the Ballet started she loved it. She loved the sword fighting and she loved the many costume changes.

There were a few sections that were long and she was getting antsy and wanted to stand up and do ballet too, which of course I didn't allow. There were a few times where she was excitedly telling me something and pointing which was adorable and only mildly distracting, but it was all kids so it was fine. She actually talked quite a bit during the show narrating what she was watching, but most of the time I was able to get her to speak quietly. It was a hit and when it was over she was sad and asked to see it again right away. it was a beautiful performance.

After wards we took pictures of the kids together in the lobby and we all went to lunch at California pizza kitchen. it was a really fun fancy girls day out. I had a great time on my Holly Date and can't wait to drag Daddy along next year.

Did I mention How proud of her I was! Here are pre and post show pictures!