What inspired Pyotr Ilyich Tchalkovsky to compose the nutcracker?

The Nutcracker was inspired by the story "The Nutcracker and the Mouse King", a Christmas story by E. T. A. Hoffmann. Tchaikovsky was first introduced to the story by his niece, who gave him a copy of the book as a Christmas present in 1881. Tchaikovsky was immediately drawn to the story's themes of magic, fantasy, and the power of love, and he decided to compose a ballet based on it.