The passage at the end of Schumann's *Carnaval* sounds, at least to
me, like the end of the "Christmas party scene" in the first act of
Tchaikowsky's *Nutcracker* before the room is deserted and the Christmas
tree starts growing.  I don't think either was lifting from the other but
suspect that both were drawing on the same well-known theme.  Am I right?
If so what theme, and why?

Walter Meyer