"The Nutcracker Suite Ballet"

[Farrell Fan]

It's not yet Thanksgiving, but already mail-order catalogs announce, "There's still time!" (to buy Christmas gifts). Despite the panicky tone, I admit to enjoying looking at them, but I hate how the catalogs invariably refer to the ballet associated with Christmas. This example is from the Hammacher Schlemmer catalog, but it's typical of most of them. "Each side of the porcelain box is adorned with elaborate scenes from The Nutcracker Suite ballet."

I have never seen "The Nutcracker Suite," nor have I ever seen "The Firebird Suite," another "ballet" I keep reading and hearing about, although I've seen The Nutcracker and Firebird innumerable times. I have also heard both suites, in concerts and on the radio, and generally prefer seeing the ballets.

[Mel Johnson]

Just another example of the Peter Principle - where the catalogue copywriters have reached their level of incompetence.;)