Christmas Pickle

[Trib]

In Old World Germany, the last decoration placed on the Christmas Tree was always a pickle.

It was carefully hidden deep in the boughs of the tree.

Legend has it that the observant child who found it on Christmas Day was blessed with a year of good fortune and a special gift.

Does anyone do this?

 

[Kimberle]

Yes, I have heard of this. Not from my family, I'm of German decent.

It's a cute tradition!!

 

[Pam]

We do!! A couple of years ago I hid it so well that we NEVER found it until when we took off all the decorations!!

I will admit that I just started this tradition 3 years ago - after reading about here on the DIS.

 

[Minnesota!]

I have a pickle ornament, and have heard this, but don't hide it, etc.

BTW - love your countdown. 96 years, huh? Pick me up on your way!!! I will only be 121!

 

[Meriweather]

We've had a pickle ornament on the tree for years.

However, a German friend told me that they had never heard of this "tradition". Nor had anyone they knew.
So.......

 

[dizneenut]

We do it. We started it last year. (Thanks Pam! ). We hide ours on C. Eve night, or else my boys would tear down the tree looking for it everytime we weren't around.

 

[piratesmate]

We've been doing it for about 5 years. I've known about it for years, but we didn't do it as kids. (PA Dutch background) The only reason we didn't do it earlier was that I detest large ornaments & it took quite a while before I found a pickle small enough. Mine is the size of my pinkie - only the last 2 joints worth.

I do give a prize for finding it - because I really hide that sucker. I don't hide it until C'mas day sometime - because I wait until DDIL gets here after work.

 

[tiggerlover]

We've been doing it for years too. Our (northern) German friends were the ones who gave the pickle and the ledgend to us. I have since met a few (southern and central) German's and they had no idea what I was talking about. But on the flip side of that I was in a southern German store and they had the pickle's for sale, so who knows.

With that said, this just reminded me that I haven't bought my pickle gift for the tree yet.....yikes!

 

[Robmom]

A friend of my DD's gave us one this year. I didn't hide it though, I just put it on the tree. I'll try hiding it next year. I know DD would be the one to find it anyway. She just wants more gifts!!

 

[kimber79]

We have done this for several years ~ ~ the kids love it!! My mom hides the pickle just before the kids start looking, otherwise someone would be in there "investigating" beforehand!! There are 5 grandkids (ages 3-17) and the one that finds the pickle gets the *bigger* present, and the others also get a little something so they are not feeling left out! A lot of times it takes them about 15 minutes or so to find the pickle ~ ~ grandma is a good hider!

Happy Holidays to everyone!!

 

[mtemm]

we have the pickle but don't do the tradition of the extra gift. granted, I only have one child who is only 22 months and its not been an issue. twins due in april, but still, it will be a few years I would think before I really have to decide.

we also have a spider on our tree, another tradition.

the spider tradition isn't about gifts, though, but its a lovely story. Brief version:

There was a housewife in Germany who worked very hard cleaning her house to ready for the christ child's visit/birthday. She cleaned upstairs and down, chasing all the spiders up to the attic. The spiders were excited for christmas, too, and wanted to see the beautiful christmas tree. On christmas eve when all were asleep they crawled down from the attic and went to look at the tree. Crawling all over the tree left webs all over it. When the christ child came that night he noticed what the spiders had done, and knew how hard the housewife had worked to make things perfect for him. He changed the webs to silver, so they sparkled and made the tree even more beautiful.

some people believe tinsel or silver garland stems from this story. We don't do tinsel, but do have a silver beautiful spider and web.

I just love ornaments that have a story behind them! Also, I've always known this story using the christ child as the visitor, but I've also heard it using santa claus.

 

[powellrj]

Originally posted by mtemm
we have the pickle but don't do the tradition of the extra gift. granted, I only have one child who is only 22 months and its not been an issue. twins due in april, but still, it will be a few years I would think before I really have to decide.

we also have a spider on our tree, another tradition.

the spider tradition isn't about gifts, though, but its a lovely story. Brief version:

There was a housewife in Germany who worked very hard cleaning her house to ready for the christ child's visit/birthday. She cleaned upstairs and down, chasing all the spiders up to the attic. The spiders were excited for christmas, too, and wanted to see the beautiful christmas tree. On christmas eve when all were asleep they crawled down from the attic and went to look at the tree. Crawling all over the tree left webs all over it. When the christ child came that night he noticed what the spiders had done, and knew how hard the housewife had worked to make things perfect for him. He changed the webs to silver, so they sparkled and made the tree even more beautiful.

some people believe tinsel or silver garland stems from this story. We don't do tinsel, but do have a silver beautiful spider and web.

I just love ornaments that have a story behind them! Also, I've always known this story using the christ child as the visitor, but I've also heard it using santa claus.

Neat story!! And we have a pickle too!! I forgot to hide it this year with all the activity we had.

 

[TIdoublegaER]

However, a German friend told me that they had never heard of this "tradition". Nor had anyone they knew.

My SIL is from Bavaria and she too had never heard of this. She even called home to ask her family and they had never heard of it either! I figure there must be some "American" Christmas traditions that I don't know anything about, so its probably a regional tradition. Sounds like a lot of fun though and a neat tradition to start with family.

 

[maleficent1959]

We have a pickle and a spider as well as a bird's nest to bring luck. DH's family was so enchanted with our pickle tradition that we bought them all pickles one year for their trees.

 

[joats]

Yup, we have the Christmas pickle on our tree. Gave it to my DH when we were dating for our first Christmas together and it's been on the tree every year since then. My niece has a great time trying to find it on Christmas.

 

[dzneprincess]

wow mtemm thats a neat story

 

[Bojangles]

we hide the Christmas pickle every year.

 

[02bBarbie]

My German bf from college was very fond of the pickle hiding tradition...He was also from Northern Germay so that may explain things

He wasn't that good at hiding it tho...because I always found it.....tho sometimes I swear I was close to going blind trying to find it

 

[luv2nascar]

our pickle is on the tree
my DD has already found it & requested me to hide it again

 

[Debi]

My mom's side of the family is German, and while my mom and her sisters and brothers took part of this tradition as kids, it wasn't until a few years ago that she started it with my brother and me. This is the first year where we just hung the pickle without trying to hide it - it's just a regular decoration now. Interesting tradition!