Maritime family's Christmas nutcracker collection cracks 500

It started out with a gift that Lisa Mahoney bought for her firstborn son nearly 20 years ago.

“This was the first nutcracker I ever bought,” said Lisa.

Since then, the Mahoney family has collected more than 500 nutcrackers – proudly displayed throughout their home each Christmas in Lantz, N.S.

“I just get a lot of joy from the nutcrackers,” said Lisa. “Just the different features that they have, how ornate some of them are and the whimsy.”

They come in all different shapes and sizes, some small and others towering over six feet tall.

“99 per cent of people love them,” said Michael Mahoney. “They want to walk through every room. However, there’s the 1 per cent of people that don’t like nutcrackers and feel intimidated by them. Too many eyes watching you!”

Some hail from Germany, others have been bought second-hand or from local artisans. There’s everything from a cake baker, a sailor to a hockey player, and Noah’s Ark to a COVID-19 fighter.

They’re all part of a permanent collection, but some of the colourful characters are more permanent than others.

“This is my nutcracker tattoo,” said Lisa, as she points to a large nutcracker tattoo on her arm. “It reminds me of them year-round.”

Each year, the nutcrackers are pulled out of storage: their hair is brushed and broken pieces are mended. However, the proof is in the picture.

Michael says every year the family line all of the nutcrackers up in one room for the official count.

“It’s the annual stacking of them into one big army for a photo to show everyone,” said Michael. “The kids all get so excited about it.”

“I tell my teacher and all my friends at school that my mom collects nutcrackers,” said their 12-year-old daughter, Lily. “They ask me all the time what the count is.”

Lisa says there’s an end in sight to the collecting.

“I thought I’ll stop at 600 so then each child can take 200 nutcrackers with them,” said Lisa. “I’ll try to stop at 600.”

With the countdown on until Christmas, who knows what nutty surprises Santa will have for this festive formation.