This year I also stitched little nutcracker pillow ornaments as gifts for both of my sisters.
These are from a Prairie Schooler Nutcracker Santa mini-card design from 1996. The first is on 28-count Evenweave in Mushroom, the second is on 18-count Aida in Oatmeal, both in DMC floss as charted, although I added a border and changed the chart’s feet and belt slightly on the second version. On both I substituted a red seed bead for the one stitch required to represent a holly berry. 
Prairie Schooler was for many years my favorite cross stitch designer, and although I’ve stitched plenty of their samplers and annual Santa cards in the past, this is the first time I’ve made up any nutcrackers.
Sympathetic Threads 
I love my Nutcracker present; thank you for giving him to us! Now I am inspired to dust off my Prairie Schooler patterns and make some ornaments to share for next year. Do you think it can happen with a wedding in the planning as well? I hope so!