When I was a kid, my mother, grandmother and I would pile up in the car and head off to Atlanta to take in a performance of "The Nutcracker" at the Fox Theatre. I have such fond memories of that Christmas tradition the three of us shared because the ballet was always wonderful. What wasn't so wonderful was the chunk of time it took to get to Atlanta, fighting the traffic, trying to find a place to park, paying for parking, trying to find a place to have dinner, paying for dinner, getting out of Atlanta, and then the looooooong ride home...other than that, it was a nice time. Well, times have changed because we no longer have to make that trek to see this holiday spectacular. Thanks to the talented bunch at the Columbus Ballet, you can enjoy "The Nutcracker" in all of its splendor right here in Columbus this Saturday & Sunday (Dec. 21-22) at RiverCenter for the Performing Arts. Not to mention, you can practically park at the front door. If that doesn't put you in the Christmas spirit, I don't know what will!