I do have a reason for why I put on the San Francisco Ballet Nutcracker last night. Really. And not because I’m celebrating Christmas in July, or because I’m trying to counteract the hot summer weather with thoughts of winter, (at least not entirely), or because I love Christmas so much that I want to celebrate it all year. No, it’s really much simpler than any of that.

You see, the Nutcracker is one of my favorite pieces of music. Not because it reminds me of Christmas. I just really like it. It’s just so beautiful; The Waltz of the Snowflakes–that’s what a snow shower sounds like! It also makes me happy, and relaxes me.

So, why didn’t I just put in the CD you might wonder? Because I do have it on CD. Well, the beautiful recording I have, (and it really is fantastically beautiful), is so long, that it’s split between two discs. So, my choice is to get up and change the disc if I want to hear the end, or miss out on the wonderful last part of the ballet. But the DVD has all of the music in one convenient disc. No decisions, no changing discs, just beautiful music, and, as a bonus, beautiful dancing.

So, you see, it really has nothing to do with the beautiful Christmas sets, or even the costumes. It’s a matter of practicality, really. Perfectly normal.