Me and my family go to see the Nutcracker every year performed at a high school in Long Beach. It is a 2 hour long show and a super long drive but definitely worth it. The Nutcracker has been around since it was directed in 1891 and has been performed around Christmas to this day, and most likely for years to come. The story behind the nutcracker is a girl who befriends a nutcracker that comes to life on Christmas eve and wages a battle with the evil mouse king.