Boston has 6 Nutcrackers this December, including one in French and one set in downtown Boston

The big one runs Friday, Nov. 27 through Thursday, Dec. 31 at the Citizens Opera House. Mikko Nissinen's production premiered in 2012 with hand-painted sets and more than 350 costumes made in Massachusetts and designed by Robert Perdziola. The Boston Ballet Orchestra plays Tchaikovsky's score at every performance, and 83 students from Boston Ballet School dance alongside the company.

Plan on about two hours with one intermission, and dress in layers, because the company keeps the theater warmer than usual for the dancers. Boston Ballet says it is the only official seller of tickets, so buy from its site. Groups of 10 or more can save up to 35%, and there is a sensory friendly performance designed for neurodiverse guests and anyone with sensory sensitivities.

José Mateo Ballet Theatre brings its 38th annual Nutcracker to the Strand Theatre from Saturday, Dec. 5 through Sunday, Dec. 20. More than 100 kids ages 6 to 18 dance with professional guest artists every year, and Boston Magazine named it Best Family-Friendly Show in Best of Boston 2020. Mateo choreographed this version to Tchaikovsky's score in 1988, and the company bills it as affordable.

Anthony Williams' Urban Nutcracker sets its winter scenes in present-day downtown Boston and blends Duke Ellington with Tchaikovsky. Classical ballet is the base, with tap, hip hop, flamenco and jazz mixed in. It plays the Boch Center's Shubert Theatre from Saturday, Dec. 12 through Sunday, Dec. 20, with 10 performances including weekend matinees, and tickets start at $29 at the box office.

The touring Nutcracker! production is in town for exactly one show, Friday, Dec. 11 at 7 PM at the Boch Center's Wang Theatre. Now on its 33rd annual tour, it adds acrobatics and larger-than-life puppets to the ballet. Tickets start at $66 at the box office.

On Wednesday, Dec. 9, the Arpeggione Ensemble plays a miniature Nutcracker at the French Library on Marlborough Street. Thomas Carroll's arrangement fits Tchaikovsky's full orchestral score into five musicians playing many more than five instruments, with narration in French from Dumas's version, English subtitles and projected illustrations, so kids can follow along even if they don't speak a word of French.

Doors open at 5:30 PM for a holiday craft atelier for kids and families, the concert starts at 6 PM, and light refreshments follow. Tickets are $30, or $24 for members and French Library students, and kids under 14 get in at no charge with an adult.

Berklee's Holiday Spectacular on Tuesday, Dec. 8 at 8 PM is a two-part night at the Berklee Performance Center on Massachusetts Avenue. The Gen-Next All-Stars open with arrangements of holiday songs, then the Diamond Cut Big Band plays Duke Ellington's Nutcracker Suite, his big band take on Tchaikovsky's music. The box office at 136 Massachusetts Ave. is open noon to 6 PM Tuesday through Friday, plus two hours before the show.