Deluxe Nutcracker Suite
Titanic Capt. John Smith stands in Claudia Davis’ kitchen in his peacoat and gold-brimmed captain’s hat.
From his balled hands dangles a tilting model of his doomed four-smokestack passenger ship.
Despite his poor luck, the captain smiles, showing all his teeth.
“German artists show the teeth to ward off bad spirits,” explains the Hayden, Idaho, resident as she admires the newest addition to her extensive nutcracker collection. “At midnight, the nutcrackers come alive for one minute to protect their owners.”
If that’s true, Claudia is the safest woman in the world, thanks to her dad, Hal Davis.
Hal began collecting nutcrackers in 1956 after one with a dwarf’s head caught his eye. After his death in 1989, Claudia inherited nearly 3,000 nutcrackers, ranging in value from $135 to $8,000.
Some work like pliers and are adorned with the heads of animals, dwarfs, gods and storybook characters. There also are screw-type nutcrackers and the clamping jaws of alligators and dogs.
But mostly, there are brightly painted wooden dolls that crack nuts in their mouths or stomp them with their feet. Some are a foot tall; some stretch to 6 feet.
Hal’s will instructed Claudia to expand the collection and eventually save it in a museum. She has allowed the nutcrackers to take over her life and has built the collection into the largest in the world, according to artists and the National Nutcracker Club.
“I love them. They attract such neat people,” Claudia says. “I just had 39 collectors here from all over the world.” Groups of collectors and artists drop in on her regularly.
Claudia, 49, is as happy as her nut-chomping soldiers and Santas, musicians and motorcyclists. On weekends, she announces for Spokane radio station KEYF-FM (Oldies 101.1 FM). The rest of the time, she visits schools, various groups, nursing homes and more with her collection.
She has rock stars, artists, judges, pirates, jesters and Gypsies. She has the Mad Hatter, Friar Tuck, the Sheriff of Nottingham, Alexander Graham Bell, Moses and Noah.
And that’s just for starters. Moses carries stone tablets; Merlin the Magician comes with a crystal ball and an owl.
Claudia’s “Newtcracker” is 5 feet tall, has a nose like a half-deflated balloon and wears a pinstriped suit. A beer barrel stand helps her potbellied Bavarian beer-drinker nutcracker reach 6 feet. He wears lederhosen bearing a heart and carries an overflowing beer stein.
The nutcrackers are snug in Claudia’s finished basement. All that’s missing is a repeating children’s chorus of “It’s a Small World.”
Most of the collection is German, but American and Scandinavian artists also are represented. Just as swept up in the hobby as her father was, Claudia adds 60 to 80 nutcrackers every year. She finds most of them in Leavenworth, Wash.
“Dad knew I’d take care of them,” Claudia says.
Crafty Christmas
If you’re scratching your head about Christmas gifts - time is running out - think about local craftspeople. A number of them will gather at Lilikoi, 842 N. Fourth in Coeur d’Alene, from noon to 8 p.m. Friday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
There’ll be hand-painted flowerpots, pottery, herbs, wreaths, planter stakes, bird feeders, luminarias and more.
Food for thought
When you’re stuffing your shopping cart this week, throw in a few extra cans and boxes for the Coeur d’Alene School District’s annual food drive. Drop off the food at Lake City High School by Friday and show the students you care.