Fergus resident Fred Morris has been collecting nutcrackers for two decades.

You may have seen part of his collection if you’ve walked by Vision Financial on St. Patrick Street West.

You can’t miss them — the window fronts of the business are filled with them, all different styles and heights and yes, Mr. Morris has more at home.

He tells The Grand 101.1 why he collects them.

“As crazy as this may sound, to me they are like works of art, in that they are unique, and the many designs, and the creativity that goes behind them,” Morris says.  “I appreciate talent, I appreciate creativity, [and] I think it’s a wonderful gift.”

These three handmade nutcrackers are Mr. Morris' favourite ones in his collection. He purchased them in Germany in 2010. Photo by Kayla Kreutzberg.

He says his collection is another form of artistic expression, and he enjoys looking at it.

Morris says whatever you collect has to have a meaning, and should give you some sort of purpose.

“I get the purpose by looking at my nutcrackers that, you know, it tells me that, life is good, it has some wonderful things in it, and things that are enjoyable,” Morris says. “ […] Life shouldn’t be viewed as hard and difficult all the time, there are some wonderful things about being alive.”

Morris says his collection reminds him of the wonderfulness of life.

He has roughly 120 nutcrackers and says he appreciates creative things, because it tells him something about the human spirit that is inspiring.

“That we’re ready to take on challenges and I guess that’s what a nutcracker means to me, it’s a challenge to create it, and it reminds me that life is full of challenges,” Morris says. “Just as the artist, or the manufacturer took on the challenge of manufacturing that product, I want to be ready to take on the challenges that come my way.”

Morris adds that his great nephew has taken an interest in nutcrackers, and perhaps he will pass down his collection to him one day.

Fred Morris: