I’ve been on the phone today ordering Thanksgiving dinner. I know there are a few Judgy-McJudgy Pants out there who consider this lazy and feel I’m short changing my family by not whipping up a Thanksgiving feast like Mee-Maw use to make. But here’s the thing. I’m a practical person and I know my limitations. I also know the limitations of my 1950s oven that’s original to the house. The oven and I had a long heart-to-heart about a week ago and we both agreed: Kroger is a better alternative.

Another bonus to bagging the Thanksgiving dinner is I now have copious free time to compile the much anticipated Art&Seek Jr ‘Nutcracker’ Superlist!

Yes, I know it’s heresy in these parts to discuss anything even remotely Christmasy before the turkey is even defrosted, but if you want to see Sugar Plum fairies dance, and rodents duel you’re going to have put the principles aside and get those ‘Nutcracker’ tickets now while the gettin’ is good. Some of the productions of the ballet start as soon as this week.

In the spirit of the Thanksgiving holiday, here’s a cornucopia of upcoming Nutcracker productions in the North Texas area. They’re  listed in order by date so you won’t miss a single dancing snowflake.

Beautiful costumes are just one of the things to look forward to in ‘The Nutcracker.’ Photo: Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker.

Get primed for the holiday season with Avant Chamber Ballet’s Nutcracker: Short and Sweet. The production will feature new and expanded sections from the Christmas classic, live music, and sparkly costumes in it’s family-friendly one-hour performance. Also, in addition to the 15 professional dancers, there will be a student cast of 38 from schools all over the DFW area. See it this Thursday, Nov. 17 at White’s Chapel United Methodist Church in Southlake.

Kick off the holiday season with Ballet Frontier’s ‘Nutcracker.’ Besides the beautiful costumes and world class choreography, this years’ show will also feature special guest artist, Katie Boren from American Ballet Theatre. See it this Friday and Saturday, Nov. 18 & 19 at Will Rogers Memorial Center in Fort Worth.

Another production that’s happening before Turkey Day is Moscow Ballet’s Great Russian Nutcracker. Billed as “the biggest Christmas experience of the year” the splashy show features larger than life props, a 60 foot growing Christmas tree and Russian-made costumes and sets. See it Nov. 18-20 at McFarlin Auditorium on the SMU campus.

You can meet the characters after the show at Momentum Dance Company’s Sugar Plum Fairy reception. Photo: Momentum Dance Company

Join Clara on her magic trip through the Land of Snow and into the Kingdom of the Sweets as Momentum Dance Company presents their production of ‘The Nutcracker’ Nov. 25 – 27 at the Irving Arts Center. Following the final show the tinies can meet the dancers and characters from the show during a a Sugar Plum Fairy reception.

New York City Ballet principal dancers Tiler Peck and Tyler Angle will guest star in Chamberlain Performing Arts’ 2016 production of ‘The Nutcracker’ at the Eisemann Center in Richardson. It also plays the weekend of Nov. 25-27, so don’t wait on tickets.

LakeCities Ballet Theatre production of the classic holiday tale will also take the stage Nov. 26-27 at Marcus High School Auditorium in Flower Mound. Sarah Lane with American Ballet Theatre will be the show’s Sugar Plum Fairy and Daniel Ulbricht with New York City Ballet will perform as the Cavalier. The ballet will be accompanied by live orchestral music from Lewisville Lake Symphony conducted by Maestro Adron Ming.

Be prepared to be dazzled in a big way with Texas Ballet Theater’s production of Ben Stevenson’s ‘The Nutcracker.‘ From the big splashy sets to the glittery costumes, this production is elaborate and won’t disappoint. This ballet takes stage at the Winspear Opera House from Nov. 25 to Dec. 4. Fort Worth ‘Nutcracker’ performances happen Dec. 9-24 at the equally opulent Bass Performance Hall.

Tyler Junior College will mark its 28th anniversary of performing ‘The Nutcracker’. To help celebrate the milestone, dancers Abigail Simon and George Sanders will join the cast of over 100 TJC and community performers. Ms Simon, formerly of the Joffrey Ballet and American Ballet Theatre, will dance the role of the Sugar Plum Fairy and Mr. Sanders, of  Ballet Memphis, will be her Cavalier. You can see this extra special production Dec. 2-4 at Wise Auditorium on the Tyler Junior College campus.

Got kids with short attention spans? Join Dallas Repertoire Ballet Dec. 9-11 at the Eisemann Center for their family-friendly Nutcracker. The  fast-paced production is perfect for the tinies and features a cast of 150 dancers including guest artists from the Bruce Wood Dance Project.

Head to Dallas Children’s Theater to see ‘The Nutcracker’ performed by puppets. Photo: Kathy Burks Theatre of Puppetry/DCT

Sure, it might not technically qualify as a ballet, but Kathy Burks Theatre of Puppetry Arts’ version of ‘The Nutcracker’ is so exceptional you won’t care the dancers are puppets. Not only is it magical and fun, it’s also a perfect introduction to the story for little theater goers who might not be ready for prime time. You can catch the show at Dallas Children’s Theater from Nov. 18 through Dec. 18.

Dancers from Oklahoma, New York, Hungary and 30 communities in the north central region of Texas make up Denton’s Festival Ballet of North Texas. The company is celebrating its 28th year and their production of ‘The Nutcracker’ has become a holiday tradition. Catch Festival Ballet’s magical performance of ‘The Nutcracker’ Dec. 10 & 11 at the Margo Jones Performance Hall at TWU in Denton.

If you like your holiday ballets without nuts, be sure to check out imPULSE Dance Project’s production of  ‘Snow: Reformed. It’s not ‘The Nutcracker,’ but this ballet definitely will put you in a wintery state of mind. The not-so-traditional Christmas and holiday dance performance combines candlelight and modern dance to bring the snowy outdoors, indoors. See it Dec. 10 & 11 at Lewisville’s MCL Grand Theater.

Don’t miss Tuzer Ballet’s magical interpretation of the holiday classic. Photo: Tuzer Ballet

The Tuzar Ballet takes the stage at the Eisemann Center in Richardson for their production of ‘The Nutcracker.’ This is the company’s 32nd year performing the holiday classic. There are three performances of lavish and spectacular ballet Dec. 17-18.

Allen Civic Ballet’s annual presentation of ‘The Nutcracker’ features a live musical accompaniment from the Allen Philharmonic Orchestra. You can follow Clara and her beloved Nutcracker Prince on their journey through the Kingdom of Sweets at the Performing Arts Center at Allen High School Dec. 17 & 18.

Collin County Ballet Theatre will present their ‘Nutcracker’ on Dec. 20 & 21 at the Eisemann Center. Performances will be accompanied by the Plano Symphony Orchestra and will feature Cuban ballet star Adiarys Almieda and Taras Domitro, Principal with San Francisco Ballet as guest dancers performing the roles of the Sugar Plum Fairy and the Cavalier.

‘Hip Hop Nutcracker’ adds a creative contemporary twist to the traditional story. Photo: Hip Hop Nutcracker

For those of you who crave more hip hop and less sugar plum in their holiday, the ‘Hip Hop Nutcracker’ could be right down your alley. The classic tale has been revamped to 1980s Brooklyn and is performed by a cast of a dozen all-star dancers, a DJ and a violinist. The dance work celebrates love, community and the magic of New Year’s Eve. See it at the Eisemann Center on Dec. 23.