Asked why the nutcracker became so closely associated with Christmas, the museum's owner Uwe Löschner provided a down-to-earth explanation that's typical of the pragmatism of the people of the region: "During Christmas time, poor people used their nuts when they would bake their traditional Stollen (fruit bread) and cookies; and nutcrackers were used to crack those nuts."
https://www.dw.com/en/how-the-nutcracker-achieved-worldwide-fame/a-46529001