NEW YORK — The nutcracker has long been a traditional Christmas figure, bolstered by priceless PR in the form of a ballet that has become a holiday classic. Based on Ernst Hoffman’s 1816 book, The Nutcracker and the Mouse King, the Nutcracker ballet is a seasonal favorite for audiences of all ages and a boon to ballet companies everywhere. The story features a young girl’s Christmas toy, a nutcracker, which comes to life and fights an evil mouse king.