pastasalad Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 While taking my g'ma to her local pharmacy I noticed they had 75% off Olde World Christmas ornaments, the sales clerk told me a brief story(which i had never heard before) about the pickle ornament, she said she had one left so i bought it...anyone else have a pickle hanging from their tree? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sherril Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 I was curious and googled it since I had never hear dteh story this is what I found. Sounds very interesting It is a quaint tradition that nobody wants to claim. And its story would not be the first tradition of Christmas born of a total fabrication. It is the little-known tradition of the Christmas pickle. The Christmas pickle is not really a pickle at all. It is a pickle-shaped ornament that is the last one hung on the tree on Christmas Eve. The first child to find the Christmas pickle gets an extra gift from Saint Nicholas. Or so the so-called legend goes. There are two other versions of the origins of the Christmas pickle. One is a family story of a Bavarian-born ancestor who fought in the American Civil War. A prisoner in poor health and starving, he begged a guard for just one pickle before he died. The guard took pity on him and found a pickle for him. The pickle by the grace of God gave him the mental and physical strength to live on. The other, perpetuated in Berrien Springs, MI, is a medieval tale of two Spanish boys traveling home from boarding school for the holidays. When they stopped at an inn for the night, the innkeeper, a mean and evil man, stuffed the boys into a pickle barrel. That evening, St. Nicholas stopped at the same inn, became aware of the boys' plight, tapped the pickle barrel with his staff, and the boys were magically freed. Berrien Springs calls itself the Christmas Pickle Capital of the World. They celebrate with an annual Christmas Pickle Festival held during the early part of December. A parade, led by the Grand Dillmeister who passes out fresh pickles along the parade route, is the featured event. You may even purchase the German glass pickle ornaments at the town’s museum. Rumor and speculation place the origin of this tradition in Germany. However few in modern-day Germany recognize or have even heard of the Christmas pickle. Some in West Germany blame generations of East Germans who may have had nothing more than pickles to decorate their Christmas trees with after World War II. But even families and historians in East Germany shrug at the mention of the Christmas pickle tradition. Regardless of where it came from, the Christmas tradition survives. Ornament manufacturers continue to make the specialty decoration and enjoy perpetuating the myth of its legendary origins -- false though they may be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndreaInNC Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 I've seen them all over .. but don't have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brynnfromtheblock Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 We have one.. the girls love to hunt for it first thing Christmas morning... whoever finds it gets a small gift (this year I have Bratz bubble bath).. we also buy 1 ornament each year for our tree, and 3 more of that same ornament so the girls will have their own ornaments when they move out that remind them of home... the first year we bought them each a pickle ornament to go in their box... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pastasalad Posted November 29, 2006 Author Share Posted November 29, 2006 We have one.. the girls love to hunt for it first thing Christmas morning... whoever finds it gets a small gift (this year I have Bratz bubble bath).. we also buy 1 ornament each year for our tree, and 3 more of that same ornament so the girls will have their own ornaments when they move out that remind them of home... the first year we bought them each a pickle ornament to go in their box...brynn I do the same thing with my children with ornaments.... I thought the story behind it sounded fun so i guess this yr we implement "the great pickle hunt" Christmas morning Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jennifer0530 Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 I have heard about this and all those versions. I heard a different version once that stated the tradition came from Germany and that they would decorate their entire trees with glass pickles and then one real pickle christmas morning and the child who found the real one got an extra gift from St. Nicholas. I see them in stores all the time but we don't have one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Illinoismom Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 I found one last week at Farm and fleet and just had to have it, My kids thought I was nuts, well I guess I better get a tree soon so that I can hang my pickle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
brynnfromtheblock Posted November 29, 2006 Share Posted November 29, 2006 brynn I do the same thing with my children with ornaments.... I thought the story behind it sounded fun so i guess this yr we implement "the great pickle hunt" Christmas morning and now you need some more pickles!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snakeswiff Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Yep I have a pickle hidden in my tree.....for as long as I can remember there has been a pickle hidden in my families tree. With my own kids, whoever finds the pickle Christmas morning gets to choose what we have for breakfast. Last year DD found it (she had just turned 4 the day before) ya we had cake and waffles for our Christmas breakfast! This year we wont be home for Christmas morning so we will have the great pickle hunt on New Years Eve when we get back from our trip. Wont be the same, but it'll do...now I guess I better get an "I found the pickle" prize! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cleverbffool Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 We also have the pickle, I remember it from my grandmother's tree and then I got it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juskait Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Wow. It is crazy that I have never heard of that! Now I have to go buy myself a pickle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bunniq Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 Yep I have a pickle hidden in my tree.....for as long as I can remember there has been a pickle hidden in my families tree. With my own kids, whoever finds the pickle Christmas morning gets to choose what we have for breakfast. Last year DD found it (she had just turned 4 the day before) ya we had cake and waffles for our Christmas breakfast! Cake and waffles! I love it! I've never heard of the pickle, but DH says he remembers something about it from his past. We are each going to hide a pickle and the first to find the other's will get to decide who picks out the tree for 2007. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mldepalma Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 I had never heard of the "pickle", but I guess my sister did as she gave me one for my tree last year. Instead of giving an extra present, in my house the child finding the pickle first gets to be the first one to start opening presents on Christmas morning. (I don't want my kids to get too overwhelmed with the "presents" part of Christmas - they don't need more stuff...) It is a cute tradition (and I have to say I was surprised at how well that pickle could be hidden ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scrabbler Posted November 30, 2006 Share Posted November 30, 2006 I searched for a pickle this morning but instead decided on an odd ornament to mean the same thing as the pickle. I am not sure what special perk the finder will receive...will have to think on that one! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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