Pickle Ornaments in Germany?

[DestinationDisney]

Can someone let me in on the story about the pickle ornaments in Germany? What exactly do they mean?

 

[MrsTomMorrow]

Can someone let me in on the story about the pickle ornaments in Germany? What exactly do they mean?

Oddly enough, it is an American-German tradition. You are supposed to "hide" the pickle somewhere on your Christmas tree, and the first to find it gets and extra present on X-mas. Since our kids are too small to play, we just put ours on the tree.

 

[makinorlando]

Supposedly there is a German tradition that the ornament is hidden in the Christmas tree, and the first child to find it receives a special present.... however, there is much on the internet that this is a myth......

Don't know for sure... just what I have found when researching the "tradition" - we have one... DD likes to look for it!

"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."


http://mymerrychristmas.com/2005/pickle.shtml

 

[DestinationDisney]

Thanks so much for your replies!! Who would have known?!

 

[MrsTomMorrow]

Your welcome!! I only know the little that I do because DH's grandmother is German!

 

[SnwflkCts]

I have hidden a pickle ornament on my tree for many years. Somehow my nephew (the only child ever around) always found that pickle!!!

Although there are many traditions surrounding the pickle ornament ... in reality it was a way to make children slow down a little and look at the tree! They have to "admire" and look at the tree to find the pickle.

The "pickle gift" (as we call it) is normally a game that once my VERY LUCKY nephew finds, we all play. When he was younger they were more active type games but once he was older, they are board games and card games. He is now 22 and wouldn't you know -- he is STILL the one to find the pickle! Of course he gets to keep the pickle gift.

He has a tree of his own ... and he hides a pickle on it now!

 

[yankeepenny]

the only reason i know about this was the first week of sept at epcot i hit up EVERY SHOP in showcase and there are different sized pickle ornaments on trees in Germany. One of them had the story, and I read it.
of course, DH knew I would.........

 

[sammi]

Yep we too have the hidden pickle in our Christmas tree and this year our nearly 2 year old granddaughter Jada will have fun trying to find it for her first time!

 

[pixiepower1971]

My mom hides a pickle on her tree every year.My girls don't slow down...they race to find it and get the special gift!

As far as I know, it is a German -American tradition.

 

[pouncingpluto]

I this may be from some small region of Germany and then became popularized among German-American families. I lived in Germany as an exchange student, and it certainly wasn't practiced in my area. Also, we had a discussion on this topic on another forum, and there was a German who said he had never heard of it until he went to Epcot.

 

[conny264]

Hi.I´m German and before my first trip to Epcot this was totally foreign to me.My extended family and friends live all over Germany and no one has ever heart of this.I´m totally clueless and tried to do some research on this but couldn´t find any Info.Very strange.
Lots of greetings from Germany
Conny