https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YIVdPrkiOEA
The Nutcracker ballet by Tchaikovsky is a traditional Christmas entertainment. I love all the music but instead of the Overture or the possibly more popular Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy (which admittedly evokes thoughts of the fairy on the Christmas tree) I thought I’d go for the Dance of the Mirlitons. The tune was hijacked by a chocolate advertisement some years ago and given new words including ‘everyone’s a fruit and nut case’ and referring obliquely to the sweets found in Christmas stockings. I always find these words running through my head when I hear the tune even though I’ve never been keen on the chocolate being advertised! There are various explanations of the term ‘mirliton’ but most agree on shepherds and all reference flutes so I chose a lovely rendering by an American flute quartet.
In other news we now have our fairy lights on all over the place. The picture has no conceivable connection to the music – it’s just a winter icon by roxicons. It’s frosty here but there’s no snow yet.
Jay's World 
Yep. Can’t hear that without singing the advert. “And men who dig the street up…” We went to a lovely version of Nutcracker last January – on ice at the big new conference centre at the Celtic Manor hotel. We stayed at the Manor House and had great fun on the magic escalators. I am only seven at heart, of course.
That sounds fabulous! I think I might be nearly 9, which is the age at which I went away to boarding school. My mother died at 91 claiming that she was still 19 in her head.
Good for her. Growing old is inevitable. Growing up entirely optional.
We were due to see Matthew Bourne’s Nutcracker at Saddler’s Wells this Christmas. Sadly that won’t happen until next year now, so I shall look on this as a promise of good things to come.
It will be exciting when you finally get there! I love Matthew Bourne’s work though I’ve only ever seen it on film. Will look forward to hearing all about it.
His ‘The Red Shoes’ is on BBC2 on Christmas Day at 6pm, if you’re interested. We saw that last Christmas.
Very interested! Thank you for letting me know. I do get a copy of Radio Times but frequently miss things because I don’t always look at it before about 9pm!