It was December 24, Christmas Eve, the start of Yuletide. Marie and her brother Fritz were so excited because the party couldn't start until the party guests came.

"They're here, they're finally here, the guests are here, Fritz!" cried Marie. The Living Room doors flew open with a "bang!" The children watched in awe as the excellence of brightness filled the hallway.

"Oh! It's the most gigantic, colorful, and awesome tree in the world!" cried all of the children.

Millions of itsy bitsy candles sparkled like all different types of glittering ornaments and wonderful things to eat hung from the tree. There was so many presents that the children loved every single one they got. They unwrapped their presents excitedly.

Fritz snatched a toy horse mounted on a chestnut stick and pranced around the room. Marie displayed her beautiful china doll.

Godfather Drosselmeir took out his big gifts. He pulled out an gigantic box and out walked a life-sized toy soldier! Then Drosselmeir wound up the toy soldier. Everyone looked at the awesome toy as it walked around the room.

Last a toy Harlequin and Columbine stepped out of their huge boxes. Then Drosselmeir wound them up and they started to dance! The children were so excited to see the toys dance.

Drosselmeir handed Marie her gift from under the tree. Her gift was a wooden nutcracker. He had a white fluffy beard and a happy and bright smile. Marie loved this gift more then any other gift.

Fritz called the nutcracker an ugly duckling because he was jealous, so he jammed an enormous walnut in the defenseless nutcracker. Crunch, crunch, a few teeth fell out.

"You're breaking him!" shouted Marie.

"Have your dumb nutcracker," chuckled Fritz. Your nutcracker doesn't even do his job." Godfather gave her a cloth. Marie was very upset. She said that she would care for her nutcracker for eternity.

That night, when the party was over and everybody was sleeping. Marie quietly went downstairs into the parlor. The grandfather clock struck. Marie looked at it and saw that godpapa Drosselmeir was sitting on it.

"What are you doing up there?" Marie cried!

The next thing she knew the toys and the tree grew and grew. The things in the drawing room were all now immense. Now Marie was not larger than the doll. The nutcracker was bigger than Marie. The toys on the tree were enormous.

Just then an army of mice surrounded Marie. Led by their monarch, they raised their swords and marched right up to the toy cabinet to challenge their rival to a battle. The instruments made loud noises. It was the toys' alert to the fight. All kinds of toys hurried out. Then out of the cabinet sprung the nutcracker, brandishing his sword and advancing the toys to war.

A gigantic army of mice arrived. They began to fight. Marie was sad to see that the army of mice was more powerful then the nutcracker's army. About three mice grasped the nutcracker's sword.

"Ha, ha, ha, gotcha!" laughed the greasy mouse. Marie would not stand for what was being done to her nutcracker.

"Oh my poor helpless nutcracker!" Marie whimpered. Then Marie threw her left shoe at the King of Mice and the mice vanished.

Marie turned to look at the nutcracker. It was transformed into a handsome prince.

"My beautiful lady," the prince said kneeling in front of Marie, "you have saved my life. Now I shall take you to the Land of Sweets."

The nutcracker prince led Marie by the hand into Christmas Wood forest. They now were in the Land of Snow and Ice. Snowflakes fell from the sky. The snowflakes had the flavor of sugar cookies. Very lovely snow fairies waltzed all around them. The little snow fairies were moving their hands for them to follow.

A gorgeous lady dressed in silky pink and white, which sparkled beautifully like a crystal, introduced Marie and the charming prince at his palace.

"She is the Sugar Plum Fairy", said the prince. The young prince told the Sugar Plum Fairy of his fight with the king of mice and how Marie had saved him. The Sugar Plum Fairy softly kissed Marie. Next she snapped her fingers, and little sparkling angels that looked like fairies got ready to perform for the celebration.

"And now," said the handsome prince, "to the banquet!" He took Marie through the beautiful candy kingdom and into a diamond hall. Then they sat on a golden thrown.

Marie and the prince watched in happiness as all of the prince's loyal servants appeared and danced.

From Russia came the Cossack dancers. From China came the Chinese dancers, jumping out of enormous teapots and doing a lovely dance.
Marie gazed with zest at the beauty of the dances as though it were all part of a magnificent dream.

"All of the candy people here are so nice," she said. "If only I could stay here forever." Marie and her nutcracker prince climbed into the royal sleigh drawn by reindeer. All of the brave people stood by to say good-bye. Marie and her nutcracker prince saluted as the sleigh slowly flew in the night sky. Everyone in the Land of Sweets waved to the sleigh until they could not see it anymore.

At the end of her adventure, Marie woke up in her own comfortable bed. Marie never spoke a word about the Land of Sweets to anyone. She knew her memories and love for the nutcracker would stay with her always.

The End