For many people, the Christmas season means decorating the house with lights and a tree, hurrying along to find the perfect gift for loved ones and enjoying holiday themed entertainment to get in the holly, jolly mood.

Those who include the time-honored ballet, “The Nutcracker” among their holiday traditions will be able to have an early taste of the holiday season at the Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes special event at Phipps Conservatory in Oakland on Nov. 18.

This one night only event, which has been taking place for seven years, will feature performances by the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre at 4:30, 6 and 7:30 p.m.

Artistic Director for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre, Terrence S. Orr, said the event will feature selections from the famed holiday ballet including many from the second act.

In the second act, Clara travels to the land of sweets where she is introduced to the Sugar Plum Fairy and experiences a variety of dances that represents nationalities all over the globe.

The dancers featured in Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes are members of the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre School, a pre-professional program.

“We call it our graduate program. They (the dancers) are in this program for approximately two to three years prior to going off and becoming a professional dancer,” explained Orr. “I just finished doing ‘Giselle’ and there were some students from the pre-professional program there.”

Orr said that the event will feature about 40 dancers at the conservatory.

These dancers will also be a part of the full length Tchaikovsky ballet performance that is held at the Benedum Center starting next month, marking the 15th season onstage for “The Nutcracker.”

“We start at the very beginning of December, Dec. 2, and we actually start out with an 11 a.m. performance and the first real performance of ‘The Nutcracker’ is that Friday evening,” said Orr.

This year also marks a milestone for Orr, as he celebrates his 20th anniversary season with the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre.

In 2002, Orr planned to revive classic story elements of the ballet while in turn creating a sense of place that was unique to Pittsburgh.

“I wanted this production to be the city’s own. I wanted Pittsburghers to feel a sense of familiarity, of home, because this show is such a tradition for so many families,” he said.

By working with artists, historians and locals, Orr began gathering relics and references to add to the traditional scenes of “The Nutcracker” to make the performance that Pittsburgh audiences see today including a growing Christmas tree and gently falling snow.

From Dec. 2 through Dec. 27, Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre will have 26 performances of the classic ballet including one for a special audience.

Orr said for the past several years, the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre has presented a sensory friendly performance of “The Nutcracker.”

“It was my educational department that came to me and she said that it would be a great idea,” said Orr. “It took me about three-and-a-half seconds to say yes to do that. It has been very important to take down certain things in the production so it won’t traumatize anybody. We have the lights up a little bit and people can move around and we do some alterations for the performance to make it sensory friendly.”

While “The Nutcracker” is often presented on a stage with a traditional theater setup, Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes required Orr, when he first performed the selections at Phipps Conservatory, to rethink some of the staging since it is hosted on the special events hall connected to the tropical forest conservatory.

“I am kind of used to it now,” he said. “It is (like) doing a performance in a theater in three-quarter round. It is something that you have to think about and how to present each work.”

Another unique aspect to Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes is that audience members will have the opportunity to have a sneak peek of Phipps’ winter flower show.

“The winter flower show this year is called ‘Days of Snow and Nights Aglow.’ The theme of it is snow days. Every room you go into you will see a little vignette or display of what you would like to do when it is a snow day,” explained Carley Adams, marketing assistant with Phipps Conservatory. “In the Victoria Room we have a pond and there will be reindeer ice skating. In another room we have topiary bears all huddled together around the hearth. In another room we have the penguins in a snowball fight. Every room is very whimsical and nostalgic in a way. As we do every year, the entire conservatory, especially the outdoor gardens, will be decked out in thousands of glowing lights.”

The winter flower show will officially open Nov. 25 and run until Jan. 8,

Orr said that Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes is a way some families introduce their children to the ballet and begin a new family holiday tradition.

“It has begun to be so popular. Sometimes this is their (parents) chance to bring the real young ones who might not make it two hours at the Benedum (for the full performance),” he said.

“I really hope that people who come to Poinsettias and Pointe Shoes will find a way they and their whole family can herald in the holidays together,” said Adams. “There is something beautiful (about seeing) the dancers perform this holiday piece of art among our whole display. It can be difficult for families to find something they all enjoy. I think the collaboration between the PBT and Phipps is something everyone can have fun with and herald in the holiday with this event.”

Tickets for the event are $28 for adults and $15 for children which include a 50 percent off ticket special for the Pittsburgh Ballet Theatre’s full performance of “The Nutcracker” and a sneak peek of the Phipps’ Winter Flower Show and Light Garden. Currently, only the 7:30 p.m. performance has tickets remaining.

Tickets can be purchased online at culturaldistrict.org.