Nutcracker season is again upon us. It’s a Christmas tradition for many, and the Pacific Northwest Ballet production--even with forty-five performances this season--is always well attended. The cherished fairy tale of Clara and her Nutcracker has a plot so familiar to audiences that there is simply a large-scale passive acceptance when hordes of mice suddenly start romping around the Stahlbaum living room (more on that later). more ›

Phillies fans may be celebrating the return of Pedro Martinez, but we're celebrating the rise of Pedro Ximénez. Also known as PX, Pedro Ximénez is the name of a Spanish white grape, as well as an intensely sweet and dark dessert sherry. more ›

The moon always seems to be full in Maurice Sendak's illustrations. He's done some 90 children's books, two of them cherished icons (Where the Wild Things Are, In the Night Kitchen), along with one ballet. As it happens, Seattle is the beneficiary of this unique venture into set-and-costume design: the wildly popular Nutcracker, which celebrates its 25th season this year. more ›

Until the day after Thanksgiving, Seattlest hadn't seen The Nutcracker -- probably the world's most famous ballet -- in years. But we had a solid image in our head of what it looked like because when Seattlest was a little kid, our mom made an annual birthday tradition to see it every year on opening night. For much of our childhood, this meant getting all spiffed up and walking a few blocks to Lincoln... more ›