US Postal Service, Richmond Ballet to Present Festive Nutcracker Event

RICHMOND, VA —Holiday greeting cards will have a home grown feel this year if the contemporary Holiday Nutcrackers stamps from the U.S. Postal Service adorn your mailings.  On October 23rd the Postal Service releases the contemporary and traditional Christmas holiday stamps for sale at local Post Offices.  The 2008 Christmas traditional stamp was created from Botticelli’s “Virgin and Child with the Young John the Baptist” painting.  The 2008 contemporary Christmas stamp features four nutcrackers which are photographs of actual figures custom-made by local artist Glenn Crider of Mechanicsville, Va. 

Crider is one of only a handful of nutcracker makers in the country that creates his nutcrackers in the German style, a process which requires over 400 steps in the crafting of just one figure.  The four figures produced for the 2008 Christmas stamps are Santa (Father Christmas), a king, a captain and a drummer.

On Saturday, November 8th, from 11 a.m. until 1 p.m., Crider and his nutcrackers will be honored at a festive event being held at the Landmark Theater located at 6 North Laurel Street in Richmond.  The Postal Service will also have cachets — or commemorative envelopes — and a pictorial postmark designed by Crider, at the event.   The event, in partnership with Richmond Ballet, will include a special dedication and unveiling ceremony of the Holiday Nutcrackers stamps from 11:30 a.m. until noon.  Celebrating the 25th anniversary of performing The Nutcracker as a professional company, Richmond Ballet will have characters from The Nutcracker mingling with the audience and available for photo opportunities. 

In addition to the contemporary and traditional Christmas stamps, holiday postage stamps commemorating Hanukkah and Kwanzaa will also be available at the event and at all local Post Offices to add that special touch to your holiday mailings. 

Crider, of T.R.C. Designs, Inc., began creating nutcrackers in the early 1980’s.  His involvement with the stamp project began with a “mysterious” phone call in early 2006, inquiring about his custom-made artwork.  A few months later he received a call from the Postal Service asking if he would be interested in producing four nutcrackers to be used as the stamp designs.  “Humbly, I am very excited to be involved in all of this,” Crider said.  “As an artist, it has been a life-changing experience.”

Crider also has a long-standing relationship with Richmond Ballet. Since 1999 his work has been commissioned by the Ballet and his nutcrackers are presented and sold through Ballet Resource and Volunteer Organization (BRAVO) as a successful fundraiser.  BRAVO will have a limited number of nutcrackers for sale at the event.

“It was a phenomenal experience when the Ballet commissioned me to produce the nutcrackers that are actually used as the stage props during The Nutcracker performances”, said Crider.  “I will not soon forget that feeling when I first saw Clara on stage with 'my nutcrackers'.”

This family event is free and open to the public.  For further information about the event, please visit nutcrackersusa.com.