The wind came up, a few raindrops fell and suddenly it felt like Christmas on Sunday afternoon, especially at the Arlington Theatre when The Nutcracker burst onto the stage.

It was the 34th annual performance by the Santa Barbara Festival Ballet of the traditional Pyotr Illyich Tchaikovsky masterwork. The audience, made up of sugarplum children and their doting elders, greeted every familiar scene with excitement.

The first act party was as magical as ever. Clara (Chelsea Cambron) and her friends pirouetted in their lavish dresses while little brother Fritz (Malcolm McCarthy) and his rowdy chums raced among the partying grownups and teased the girls.

Herr Drosselmeyer (Desmond O’Neill) brought his gifts — life-size dancing dolls, and the glowering toy Nutcracker for Clara. Clara’s elegant Aunt (Nancy Miller) glided across the stage with her funny little white dog, played with great savoir faire by a pooch named Charlee Hodson.

The Nutcracker originally was adapted from a story by E.T.A. Hoffman, a German novelist/composer who also served as the protagonist of Jacques Offenbach‘s opera, The Tales of Hoffman. Hoffman wrote in the Romantic period, giving the world a vision of whimsy and swashbuckling charm that still delights theater-goers as it did 200 years ago.

The only dour faces in this ballet belonged to the Rats, led by the Rat King (Erik Purinton). Fortunately, the toy Nutcracker was transformed into a dashing Prince (Shane Scopatz), just in time for a heroic sword fight, and the vanquishing of the Rat King and his furry troops.

What followed, in Act Two, was the cavalcade of divertissements in “The Kingdom of Sweets.” Clara and her Prince sat as a regal audience of two and watched the story unfold.

Angels, Bakers and Princesses took their turns entertaining the pair. Keely Moore was a fiery Spanish Dancer. Hilary Olivera and Kory Powell performed the sinuous Arabian pas de deux. The Chinese Dolls were fetchingly danced by Veronica Wenzinger and Valerie Presta. Kasha Wilson soared as the lead Candy Cane.

O’Neill, the Drosselmeyer of Act One, was transformed into Mother Ginger, “she” of the enormous hoop skirt concealing the little girls who danced as Gingersnaps — all 12 of them.

“The Waltz of the Flowers” followed, with its lyricism, its Dewdrop (Heather Dell), its Waltz Coryphee (Megan Tench and Valerie Pesta) and the corps de ballet filling the stage.

As the ballet wound to a close, guest artists Ashley Ivory and Scott Pascal danced the brilliant “Grand Pas de Deux,” and the entire company swirled onstage for the finale.

The audience gave a roaring ovation, bouquets were distributed, and conductor Elise Unruh and the orchestra were given extra cheers.

Margo Kline covers the arts as a Noozhawk contributor.