Nutcrackers scare me. I had a bad experience with a White Elephant gift exchange, a pair of giant nutcrackers, and a crotchety old woman that has left me scarred to this day. I'm not really sure what ties the nutcracker in with Christmas (aside from the ballet The Nutcracker) and nutcrackers nowadays seem to be more decorative than functional, but they are an inescapable part of Christmas.
So why not zombify them? Here is some inspiration to get you started:
Source unknown
Source: GhoulFriday.com
Source: ThemThangs on Etsy
Source: bdunn1342 on deviantART