The Nutcracker, with its long-beloved melodies and secure dominance over the airwaves of the holiday season, has returned to Beantown alongside the creeping Bostonian chill. The Boston Ballet's adaptation of this long-standing favorite is a gem, though it could not be called perfect. As a familiar production for many of the company's dancers, it was played as such-the wear of a thousand performances begins to turn the sugary stylings of Balanchine and Tchaikovsky to vanilla. However, there are moments where the performance shines, where the sense of confidence and artistic precision of the company combine to showcase the true talents and elegance of the Boston Ballet. The story of The Nutcracker is quite possibly just as well known as the story of Santa Claus. Set in Germany during the height of the Christmas season, a young girl named Clara (or Marie in some productions) receives a nutcracker as a gift from her magic godfather, Drosselmeier. Her brother breaks the nutcracker in jealousy, but Drosselmeier, using his magic, fixes it. In the middle of the night when Clara checks on her nutcracker, everything around her magically comes to life and, in addition, grows nearly twice in size. An ensuing battle occurs in which the Nutcracker and his army of toy soldiers fight the Rat King and his army of rodents. Clara helps the Nutcracker defeat the Rat King, after which the Nutcracker returns to his original form before he was turned into a nutcracker: a handsome prince. In gratitude, the prince takes Clara to the Sugar Plum Fairy's realm. In honor of Clara's courage, the Sugar Plum Fairy and the other natives of the Kingdom of Sweets dance for her.

The Boston Corp was supplemented by dozens of new feet from the Boston Ballet School and will probably be the biggest company that the stage of The Boston Opera House will see during the whole season. Balanchine choreographed the ballet with children in mind, and despite their fumbles and missteps, or maybe because of them, they danced delightfully.

However, when these blunders were repeated by dancers in the professional corps, they were less cute. Throughout the performance, during multiple sections, some dancers were simply desynchronized from the rest of the group. It's difficult to be forgiving of dancers who are behind two beats again and again while his or her other partners are exactly on the conductor's baton.

Despite this, there are moments of jaw-dropping beauty and exquisite technical excellence. John Lam, who played the short-lived but endlessly memorable Harlequin doll, drew fervent applause with his boundless leaps and charming quirkiness. Laws of nature seemed unable to contain him; his leaps sent him rocketing up into the air with supreme ease and his body seemed to twist and jerk in any way he wanted.

In contrast to the stiff and erratic Harlequin was the mercurial Kathleen Breen Combs, who played the female half of the famous Arabian pas de deux. A dancer with never-ending legs and impossible flexibility, Combs combined her fluid talents with resolute technique to create one of the most memorable dances of the night with her equally steely partner, Lasha Khozashvili.

However, Misa Kuranaga, the slight and porcelain principal dancer who claimed the role of Sugar Plum Fairy that night, needed no leaps or loud movements to establish why she was a principal dancer of the Boston Ballet. She exemplifies what a dancer should be: technically perfect, expressive without cartoon-isms and perfectly in cue with the music. The music didn't play background to her-in fact, it almost felt as if she were conducting Tchaikovsky's score herself with every cascade of her arm, her every quivering pointe, her every gymnast-like extension. So precisely attuned to the conductor, so fiercely perfect in her technique and yet so velvety soft in her interpretation and grace, Kuranaga rose above the rest of the dancers in the corps.

And though Kuranaga danced perfectly to the music, the orchestra sometimes fell flat. At times the score was muggy during fast-flying runs, other times it was just not powerful enough to fill the hall during the larger scenes. The action onstage would escalate to a chaotic rumble and the music would not deliver. But during the second act, the music's propensity to quiet subtleties wrought a quite beautiful and delicate version of "The Dance of the Sugar Plum Fairy." Also, the spirited and animated "Trepak," or Russian dance, provided the perfect setting for the orchestra to shine alongside the energy bounding from the stage.

One noticeable facet of this particular production was its obvious indulgence to its young audience and young performers. The audience was largely comprised of parents with their children and parents watching their children on stage. High-flying stunts, magic tricks and the Alice in Wonderland-esque transformation of the background dominated the first act. Falling snow showered the dancers as they leapt amid a backdrop of glistening evergreens. The second act's background was a bit of a sugar rush: the shapes framing the background were dominated by whipped cream towers and candied windows. The color scheme was comprised almost solely of pastels. But far from detracting from the performance, this is exactly what I would imagine the Sugar Plum Fairy's dominion to look like; a Kingdom of Sweets without sweetness would just seem wrong. And their pandering worked-not one child stirred or whispered throughout.

The Boston Ballet's production of The Nutcracker may not be perfect, but it's a Bostonian favorite for a reason. It's a visual feast as well as an aural delight. It is difficult to resist feeling uplifted by Tchaikovsky's dynamic score. What makes The Nutcracker so successful is that it speaks to that spark of innocence and wonder that still lies within everyone. Who hasn't wanted to escape to a beautiful new land filled with sweets? Tchaikovsky's score strikes a chord with all of us, and ballet, with its exaggerated mime and essentially effervescent nature, is the perfect medium to convey this to kids who have grown up.

It's a magical night and a perfect way to welcome in the most wonderful time of the year.

The Nutcracker plays at the Boston Opera House until Dec. 31.