Nutty for Nutcrackers

05/31/2026

Nutty for Nutcrackers will be closed this Thursday & Friday (June 4 & 5). Normal hours resume on Saturday, June 6!

05/29/2026

Nutcracker Spotlight of the Week - Last German Coin Nutcracker

This limited edition nutcracker produced by Steinbach is affectionately called “Good Old Mark,” and was released in 2002 to commemorate the German mark currency that was phased out that same year in exchange for the Euro. The nutcracker itself is dressed in traditional Bavarian attire - much like what Christian Steinbach, King of the Nutcrackers, was known to wear - and holds a pillow featuring an authentic German mark coin. Most versions of this nutcracker wear a green felt coat, but ours is wearing a yellow one instead. Unfortunately, our Good Old Mark is missing his, well, mark.🪙

This nutcracker, along with over 5,000 others, is on display, here, at Nutty for Nutcrackers at 210 S Piedmont Avenue in downtown Kings Mountain, NC! Free Admission!

05/27/2026

This year Nutty for Nutcrackers is very excited to be part of Matthews Heritage Museum's Miles for Museums Summer Passport Program! From now until Sept. 12, you can discover wonderful local museums as well as have a chance to win a grand prize with your completed passport. (And it's free to participate 🥳) Check out more info or download your passport at the link below!

https://sites.google.com/matthewsheritagemuseum.org/milesformuseums/home

05/15/2026

Nutty for Nutcrackers is helping sponsor Kings Mountain Historical Museum's Motorsports & Heritage Fest as well as run the kids arts & crafts area for the event. Come drop by tomorrow and check it out!

To give everyone a sneak peek into the Kings Mountain Motorsports & Heritage Fest event this Saturday, here's the map for the event! 🏁

When: 📆May 16th from 10AM to 2PM
Where: 📍 100 East Mountain Street
Admission: FREE!

05/10/2026

For Mother’s Day, Nutty for Nutcrackers would like to highlight the mother and inspiration of our nutcracker museum - Mrs. Margaret Cook. Margaret married a WW2 combat veteran in 1948 and had noticed that when soldiers returned home from Europe they brought German nutcrackers with them. Margaret loved the nutcrackers’ vivid colors and varied expressions, so she began collecting them. Before she knew it, she had several hundred nutcrackers, many of which she used in displays to honor veterans and first responders. Her son, Mark, would inherit her collection, growing it to 3,000, before collaborating with the Martins to create the museum. Nutty for Nutcrackers would not be here today if not for Mrs. Margaret Cook, and just like her, we wish everyone is nutty for veterans, first responders, and - of course - nutcrackers!

Happy Mother’s Day!

05/05/2026

Nutty for Nutcrackers would like to thank our teachers and education staff for their tireless work and wish them a happy Teacher's Appreciation Day!

05/01/2026

Nutcracker Spotlight of the Week - Oregon Caves Nutcracker

While little information can be found online about this unique nutcracker, it appears to have been a gift shop item for the Oregon Caves National Monument & Preserve. Dated 1958, this nutcracker is made from a hollowed out cross-section of a tree - bark included - and features a spring loaded plunger for cracking nuts. The quirky phrase, “just a tap or two will quickly bring your nuts all cracked out of this thing” printed on the nutcracker completes the gift shop piece. Interestingly enough, Oregon is also the home to the world’s largest wooden nutcracker, Herr Woody Winterguard, who towers at a whooping 41-feet!

This Oregon Caves nutcracker, along with over 5,000 others, is on display, here, at Nutty for Nutcrackers in downtown Kings Mountain! Free Admission!

04/24/2026

Nutcracker Spotlight of the Week - Smokers!

While nutcrackers are well-known around the world and synonymous with Christmas, its lesser known cousin, the smoker, plays a significant role during the holiday season in German households. Also known as Räuchermann, smokers are incense burners typically designed in two pieces. A lit incense cone is placed on the bottom half of the smoker and the top half is placed on top. As the incense burns down, smoke escapes through the hole or mouth of the figure. In the mid 19th century, mining production in the Ore Mountains began to slow and German families in the area turned to traditional woodworking skills to produce smokers, nutcrackers, and other figurines in order to make a living. Unlike nutcrackers, which may feature political, military, or religious figures, smokers are traditionally carved in the image of the working class man with many figurines representing miners, foresters, shepherds, farmers, or carpenters. This particular smoker was made by Steinbach and features a falconer at work. Nutty for Nutcrackers has over 5,000 nutcrackers as well as several smokers on display at the museum, so come check us out in downtown Kings Mountain! Free Admission!

04/22/2026

Happy Earth Day from Nutty for Nutcrackers!

04/17/2026

Nutcracker Spotlight of the Week - Two Hand-Carved Nisse Nutcrackers!

These two hand carved nutcrackers were likely bought as souvenirs in the Norwegian towns of Stalheim and Stavanger. Both nutcrackers appear to be in the shape of gnomes from Nordic folklore known as Nisse. The small, human-like creatures are usually depicted as wearing red hats, gray clothing, and sporting beards. Tradition says that nisse live in barns on farmsteads, performing house and stable chores like harvesting, animal husbandry, or carpentry in exchange for an offering of its favorite food, porridge, once a year around the winter solstice. Families who disrespect the nisse or fail to give them a proper offering would face the nisse’s vindictiveness and bad luck would fall upon the farm. While these two nutcrackers aren’t on display yet, there are still over 5,000 nutcrackers to see at Nutty for Nutcrackers, so swing on by!