Epcot Pickle Ornament Story

[pixleyyy]

We were at Epcot last week and bought the pickle ornament in the Germany Christmas shop. I asked the cast member to include the pickle ornament story with out purchase, which I was having sent to our resort. She said she would. However once I picked up the package I noticed that she had forgotten the pickle story. We didn't have a chance to get back to Epcot for it either. So does anyone have it and care to share it with me so I can print it out for my kids? Thanks.

 

[Robo]

http://allears.net/tp/ep/e_ger.htm

The pick of most of the Shoppers was the green Pickle Ornament from the Die Weihnachts Ecke shop for $8.50. Pickle ornaments in Germany are considered very special and are generally the last item parents put on the tree on Christmas Eve. In fact, the pickle ornament is hidden from view amidst the tree branches, and as soon as the children are allowed to see the tree, the hunt begins. The lucky finder of the special pickle ornament receives an extra gift from St. Nicholas for being the most observant child.

 

[Robo]

AND-

http://maxschilling.com/blogs/sample_weblog/archive/2009/07/17/the-pickle.aspx

According to German tradition (according to Epcot), German families hid a pickle-shaped Christmas Ornament on the Christmas tree each year. On Christmas morning, the children in the family look for it on the tree, and which ever child finds it first gets a special gift.

(Google is your friend.)

 

[helenk]

A few years back my mother and I were in Germany in Epcot and heard the story about the pickle. My sister in law is from Germany so we were thrilled to buy a pickle ornament to give to her for Christmas that year.
We were quite disappointed when she told us she had never heard of the tradition.

 

[Robo]

A few years back my mother and I were in Germany in Epcot and heard the story about the pickle. My sister in law is from Germany so we were thrilled to buy a pickle ornament to give to her for Christmas that year.
We were quite disappointed when she told us she had never heard of the tradition.

It's only an "EPCOT Germany" tradition.

 

[Azree]

We live in the heart of the German-American U.S. - Southeast Wisconsin. (Kindergarten was "invented" around here!) I'm 1/4 German, my wife is all Deutsche, and I have a great number of students with names like Schultz, Kraus, Gretzsch, Wagner, and the like.

The pickle tradition is very real, and still very much practiced around here. Perhaps it was primarily an immigrant-German thing, but it's most definitely not just a Disney thing.

 

[TinkerbellinLouisian]

FUNNY!!!

We bought an "Authentic German Pickle" from a local ornament store YEARS ago and had MUCH fun with it! (Parents hide it the night before Christmas...and the first child that finds it gets to open their Christmas present first).

We were SO proud last year when our German Foreign Exchange Student Friend was here....to produce our sharing of his Country's Tradition....

only.....

He had NEVER heard of the German Pickle Tradition....

In doing more research...we found out that no such GERMAN tradition exists.

I called in on a friend's radio show to enlighten folks on this...and my friend had a lot of fun with this story. So as a present for his Christmas party last night...I went BACK to the ornament store...and bought him (what was labeled as) an "AUTHENTIC GERMAN PICKLE" ornament...

Too Funny

Hugs,
Mary

 

[laura001]

A few years back my mother and I were in Germany in Epcot and heard the story about the pickle. My sister in law is from Germany so we were thrilled to buy a pickle ornament to give to her for Christmas that year.
We were quite disappointed when she told us she had never heard of the tradition.

Funny you mention this as someone did exactly the same thing for me (us). They bought us a pickly knowing that I was German, but I had never heard the story either.

My story has a little twist....a friend purchased the pickle thinking she was giving me something great. I decided that we would make it a tradition since she was kind enough to give it to me. Well..........I was taking down our tree and ended up breaking the pickle the same year we received it. Knowing that we were going to WDW in the spring I thought we would pick up another one then.

We went to WDW in the spring and I went to purchase the pickle and also picked up a Christmas Ornament for another friend of my husbands, they packed the picked in a box with the ornament. When we got back home I just left the bag sitting out and my husband picked up the bag with the ornament in it and took it to his friend (who does a disney themed tree). DH came home and told me how excited his friend was about the ornament. About a week went by before I realized that we were "pickleless". Imagine how embarassing it was to call his friend and explain about the pickle sauga, He of course returned it to us and all is well, we still have the pickle.

 

[bear_mom]

It's only an "EPCOT Germany" tradition.

Bronner's, the world's largest Christmas store, also has the pickle ornaments. That is where I first saw it.

Emily

 

[floridianer]

Well, I am 100% german and I was always wondering WHY they are selling these pickles in Epcot...
I was told once that this would be "very german"...

I thought WHOW... And thought twice about it...

The shop is a Käte Kollwitz booth (who is really a BIG brand on german markets around xmas!!).
But hey, believe me, these xmas trees in Epcot don´t even look much like the "standard" xmas trees over here

Well, at least I have to say that it is a truely nice story!

I asked bunches of people here and noone had a clou about this pickle.
(maybe starting a new tradition next week )

 

[SueM in MN]

We live in the heart of the German-American U.S. - Southeast Wisconsin. (Kindergarten was "invented" around here!) I'm 1/4 German, my wife is all Deutsche, and I have a great number of students with names like Schultz, Kraus, Gretzsch, Wagner, and the like.

The pickle tradition is very real, and still very much practiced around here. Perhaps it was primarily an immigrant-German thing, but it's most definitely not just a Disney thing.

I am also from a German-American area of the US. I know people both in the part of Wisconsin I grew up in and in the Twin Cities of Minnesota who have had a pickle on their tree for years ( with the same story).
The first time I heard the story, I was pretty small and , let's just say I have been around longer than Epcot, so it's not just an Epcot idea.

 

[floridianer]

Hm...
Maybe it is a "germans in the USA" story??

Not sure

But I definetly like this story!

 

[phins_jazy]

We're germans originally from North Dakota currently living in Texas and we have done the pickle ornament since I was little. It really is great fun.

 

[GovieMom]

The first time I heard the story, I was pretty small and , let's just say I have been around longer than Epcot, so it's not just an Epcot idea.

Same here. Some friends of ours, who have never been to WDW, gave us a pickle ornament (which came with the traditional story behind it) years ago.

 

[Jiminy'sGirl]

Actually, we've had a pickle ornament from the time I can remember. We are not German, but my Grandpa apparently started this tradition when my Mom was a kid after coming home from WWII. So I believe "Epcot Germany" must have based this on a real tradition.

 

[Reddog1134]

About 15 years ago, a friend/co-worker of mine was giving me a ride home and had to stop at his mothers house. I was admiring the HUGE tree they had when my friend came into the room. I said, "I was just noticing that pickle". He then yelled out "MOM, BRIAN FOUND THE PICKLE!!!". I got worried that I had done something wrong. Then his mother yelled back "THEN HE GETS AN EXTRA PRESENT!!!"

 

[loriandmatt]

we are pickle hangers. the pickle ornament gets placed on the plate with santa's cookies before we all retire. "santa" hangs the pickle and the kid who finds it first gets a special extra prize that he leaves on that empty cookie plate.

we bought our pickle at a store (not Disney) years ago for no reason other than our son (only child at the time) LOVED pickles. the tradition story that we found inside the box with the orniment sounded cool so we started hiding it for him to find. (no competition back then as he was our only child, but still fun to hunt for)

the hard part now is hiding it in a place that will still be a challange for the boy (now 15) but not too hard for his 5 year old sister. Oh, and santa struggles a bit with the gift too...has to be something either the teen or the 5 year old would be happy to have.

 

[Robo]

Oh, and santa struggles a bit with the gift too...has to be something either the teen or the 5 year old would be happy to have.

Hey Santa-

 

[indimom]

She lived in Germany for four years with her hubby (Air Force) and heard of the tradition there and bought an ornament in Germany for our mother's tree. All the grandkids enjoy searching for the pickle at our family party...
So there are definately some areas of Germany that have this tradition. Maybe it's just a localized thing.

 

[wdwtweets]

It likely is a regional thing. In any country, there are different traditions and customs in different parts.

OP, here is the story word-for-word given to us in Epcot when we purchased our pickle ornament:

Pickle ornaments were considered a special decoration by many families in Germany where the first tree was decorated on Christmas Eve. It was always the last ornament to be hung on the Christmas tree, with the parents hiding it in the green boughs among the other ornaments. When the children were allowed to view the three, they would begin gleefully searching for the Pickle ornament. The children knew that whoever first found that special ornament would receive an extra little gift left by St. Nicholas for the most observant child.