The holidays are here and it's time to value our traditions. But one is in real jeopardy so enjoy it while you can. It may not be with us in the coming years.

We're talking about The Nutcracker from the Orlando Ballet, who has been notified by the city that the 2005 performances will be cut back to one week, and in 2006, they will not have any performances since the Bob Carr Center has been given over to traveling rod shows. Admittedly the shows are the Rockettes and The Lion King. No slouch shows. But our own local tradition will suffer.

We have to remind you that Mayor Dyer has committed himself to supporting our arts community and a center for the arts is one of his missions. So it comes as a surprise that such a decision makes their intentions seem a bit shallow.

The Nutcracker is not only a holiday tradition but is financially crucial to the Orlando Ballet. You see, about 50% of their revenue comes from these performances, so to them this decision really hurts.

We are convinced that the City of Orlando and Mayor Dyer are aggressively committed to nurturing our entertainment traditions, so e hope that before next year something is done to not only soften the economic blow to the ballet, but to also accommodate our hope that the Nutcracker, and the Orlando Ballet, continue to be part of our holidays.