Every city offers presentations of “The Nutcracker” in December. In some places, including D.C., audiences even have multiple productions from which to choose.

Given its ubiquity at this time of year, it seems strange to learn that Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s ballet about an extraordinary Christmas present actually wasn’t a success when it premiered on Dec. 18, 1892, at St. Petersburg’s Mariinsky Theatre. America didn’t even see a production of the complete ballet until Christmas Eve 1944. But it soon fell in love, and the immense popularity of the work in this country helped turn it into a holiday classic.