German Pickle

[left_arm]

Having German heritage and after living in Germany, I can attest to the truth of hiding a pickle on the Christmas tree. Growing up, we'd hide the pickle that once hung on my great-grandparents' tree. After moving away from home, my mother gave me a new one to hang on my tree. I never really thought of it as an odd tradition, just like an Italian won't think the feast of the seven fishes is odd.

 

[DisneyKevin]

I dont believe anyone thought it was odd. Just the opposite, actually....we found it charming.

It's just that when we talked about it last year or the year before....several people wrote in to tell us that no one in Germany did any such thing and that this was all a bunch of bunk.

We received enough email telling us that this was not a German tradition that we didnt know who to believe.

That being said...Pete has taken to calling the tree in Germany covered in glass pickles...The Tree of Lies.

 

[Joshua_me]

Many years ago I had a seasonal job as a sales associate in Bloomingdale's in their Christmas decor department. We sold a glass pickle ornament that retailed for around $25.

I had this one customer, to whom money was apparently no object, insist that we decorate a nine foot tree for him featuring nothing but 200 of the pickle ornaments and neon bright green lights !

We had to special order the ornaments from the distributor that added even more money to the total and I will never forget the evening we spent stringing green lights and wiring glass pickles on this giant tree getting it ready for 'to his door' shipment.

It was a dilly of a good time.

(ahem)

Really scraping the bottom of the barrel for that one.

 

[bear_mom]

The pickle ornament is also sold at Bronner's - The Largest Christmas Store.

Emily

 

[snowy76]

I've read another urban legend about the German pickle tradition, that it started with a German immigrant who fought in the Civil War and was a prisoner at Andersonville (notoriously BAD wartime prison). The story goes that a guard took pity on the starving prisoner and gave him a pickle. The kind gesture helped the prisoner get through the misery - so much so, that once he got home from the war, he started this tradition with his family as a reminder of good health and luck.

Don't know if it's true Could be a marketing scheme. Look at what Santa has evolved into! In any event, I bought my ornament from the Tree of Lies but only as a souvie of my last trip to Epcot.

 

[GenieCat]

... is for a pickle

Here is the rest of the story from The German Way.

(genealogy geek alert)

News article from "The Americus Times Recorder"

Roster of Andersonville Prisoners
John Lower(s) was an Andersonville prisoner. He was with Company H, 103rd Pennsylvania. He survived the ordeal, and was still living in 1902.

 

[dkostel]

Here in Chicago we have the Christkindlmarket every winter (which is Chicago's only redeeming quality in the winter). It is a traditional German holiday market and seems very authentic (although I'm not German). They also sell the pickle ornaments.