Christmas may still be several months away, but Halcyon Days has unveiled its 2026 Annual Christmas Box, continuing one of the company’s longest-running traditions for collectors of English enamel boxes.
Entitled The Magic of the Nutcracker, the new design is the 54th edition of the Halcyon Days Annual Christmas Box and takes its inspiration from the magical Christmas Eve world of The Nutcracker. The story follows Clara, her Nutcracker Prince and their journey into a fantastical world, imagery that has become closely associated with Christmas through countless productions of Tchaikovsky’s famous ballet.
The 2026 box depicts scenes inspired by the story’s dreamlike adventure, combining traditional festive imagery with the miniature decorative painting for which Halcyon Days enamels are known.
Opening the box reveals the seasonal inscription:
“May your Christmas be filled with wonder & adventure.”
Handcrafted in England, the circular enamel box measures 46mm in diameter and 28mm high. It is priced at £275, with Halcyon Days announcing availability from mid-August 2026. At the time of its unveiling, the box was available to pre-order, with made-to-order examples taking approximately four weeks to deliver.
A Continuing Enamel Tradition
The Annual Christmas Box has developed into an established collecting series within Halcyon Days’ enamel production, with collectors able to build a chronological record of changing Christmas designs.
The company itself has played an important role in the modern revival of English enamel boxes. Enamelling on copper flourished in Britain during the 18th century, particularly in the Midlands, before production largely disappeared during the 19th century.
Halcyon Days revived the tradition in 1970, working with craftspeople in Bilston to produce new enamel boxes using techniques derived from their historic predecessors. The company had originally been founded by Susan Benjamin in 1950 as an antiques and gifts emporium in London’s Mayfair.
Its enamels soon attracted considerable attention. In 1970, Queen Elizabeth The Queen Mother commissioned an enamel box depicting Clarence House, and Halcyon Days received its first Royal Warrant from the Queen Mother in 1972. The company was subsequently granted further Royal Warrants and received a new Royal Warrant from King Charles III in 2024.
The boxes continue to be produced using a labour-intensive process. Copper forms the base onto which powdered glass enamel is applied and fired, with decoration requiring numerous stages of painting and firing.
For collectors, dated annual and Christmas boxes form an interesting area within modern Halcyon Days collecting because individual designs document both the company’s changing decorative styles and thhttps://www.worldcollectorsnet.com/magazine/iss35p3/e themes chosen to represent each year.
The Magic of the Nutcracker adds another particularly traditional Christmas subject to that continuing series – even if Halcyon Days has given collectors a rather early reminder that Christmas 2026 is on its way.
Price: £275
Dimensions: 46mm diameter x 28mm high
Availability: From mid-August 2026
Edition: 54th Halcyon Days Annual Christmas Box
Related – Oh Those Halcyon Days – The Story and Collecting of Halcyon Days Enamel Boxes
