YuleLog Ornament Collector's Bulletin Board Forums Discussion Ornament Collecting Discussion Anyone put a pickle in their tree??

My mother gave me a glass pickle this year and told me to hide it in my tree. She said the first one to notice it should get a prize. Three questions...does anyone else do this? Do you tell your house guests to look for the pickle or wait for them to notice it on their own? What is a good prize?

Just wondering.

Terri

I put a pickle on my glass ornament tree, just because I thought it was a German tradition. I didn't do the prize thing as I don't have any children at home or family that comes by. I went to Germany a few years ago at Christmas and learned from our tour guide that it was never a tradition in Germany and she deducted that it was just something someone made up to sell the ornament to us Americans! I now have a very dear German lady friend who just came to America 4 years ago and she knows nothing about the pickle thing either! I think we were duped! Nancy

We've hidden a glass pickle for several years. Although we have no kids of our own, we have four wonderful nephews who couldn't wait to tear through our front door to look for the pickle. A few years ago, we sent our artificial tree to the Goodwill and discovered we had sent the pickle along with it. So we're on our second pickle, but the boys now 11 - 29 still love to look for it. We usually give the winner a packet of $5 wworth on Instant Lottery Cards.

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Alan in Canton, OH "Life is a work in progress"

Yes, we have a glass pickle also. Although I haven't given out real prizes for the first to find it, just candy for all who try. The winner gets the glory, I guess.

I didn't hear about the tradition idea when I bought the pickle, it just tickled my fancy and I had to have it when I saw it.

Oh no, another one of my illusions shattered!
I have always heard it was a German tradition. In fact, mine came nested in shredded paper in a glass (pickle?) jar, and I think the story is printed right on the label. I'll have to keep an eye out for it as I'm unpacking my decorations.
My SIL was born in Germany, I'll have to ask her if she's ever heard of it. Your German guide was probably right We Americans love a good tradition story, it's probably all just a marketing trick to suck us in!
The funniest part of my hiding the pickle is that everyone forgets to look for it until I start taking down the decorations and find the empty pickle jar!
Karen

I never ever heard of the glass pickle. Never saw one either.
What is it supposed to stand for?
Mary

About 5 years ago I got a blown glass pickle because I liked the idea of the tradition that the first to find it would have good luck in the New Year. That was the story I heard. I've had some friends who have challenged me on this "German" tradition having spent some time in Germany and I have held fast to my story. Now it appears I may have been full of the blarney!!

Oh well, it may not be a German tradition, but it certainly is one of my families traditions now. And believe it or not it is the adults who are eager to search for it. My pickle is more of a gherkin as it is only about 1.5 inches long. Because of it's size it is very hard to find on my dense tree loaded with other ornaments. When family and friends come over to visit at the holidays they spend a good amount of time searching the tree. Crawling around on the floor and turning their heads upside down to get a different perspective. This activity is highly anticipated and talked about throughout the year.

I have given prizes away to the first to find it at my Holiday Parties and this year I plan on giving the Snowman Treat Jar filled with candy as the prize.

I would recommend this tradition to everyone!

My grandmother always told us it was a Pennsylvania Dutch tradition. My children always loved to be the first to find it. I would never place it on the tree until Christmas Eve. I usually have a Christmas music CD (I used to give cassettes) or a jigsaw puzzle as a prize. As each of my brood left home, they received a pickle for their tree, on there first Christmas away from home.
Mary Lou

Here is a link to Bronner's website of Legends for many various Christmsa ornaments.

http://www.bronners.net/legends.html

I bought a large and small pickle ornament several years ago since Steven was only about 2 and Sarah was almost 6, I figure he needed the large since he was so young and she needed more of a challenge so I hope to do this one of these years in the far distant future with my grandchildren just for the fun of it!

I also found a site that someone had looked into the fact or fiction of the pickle and it had a few interesting stories too!

Deanna

For several years I hung a glass pickle on my tree ... not for a prize search, but because I was told that it was a Pennsylvania Dutch symbol of good luck. Well, a year or so ago I got out my ornaments and couldn't find the pickle. I think it got lost in the branches and thrown out with the tree the year before! So, next time I buy a pickle for my tree I'm going to tie a red ribbon to the stem!!!

[This message has been edited by andi (edited 11-17-2003).]

My mom started this tradition for her grandchildren years ago and always gave candy to the kids as they found it seeing they usually arrived at the house at different times. Eventually she started giving them the grandchild Hallmark ornament for their prize.

I also hang a pickle on my tree for my son and he cannot wait until I say the tree is done and he can start his search for it. His prize is a Hallmark ornament he wants for his tree.

My pickle is a very tiny gerkin and very hard to see on the tree. It is always the official first ornament removed from the tree on undecorating day so I will not forget it!

I seem to recall a story on a card coming with my pickle that it was a German tradition. Wherever it came from, it is fun and we will continue to hunt for it every year.

I have heard the same tradition - maybe it's from a certain part of Germany? I saw several of them for sale at Tuesday morning last week and you all have inspired me to get one ! Steph

There seem to be so many traditions about what should go on your tree every year. I've heard the pickle and spider story. One that I've always followed was to always have a bird nest in your tree. This year, I'm going to have a complete bird tree since I've become such an avid bird-watcher.

Great topic! I've been doing the pickle routine for longer than I can remember. Years ago my grandma, who was Irish/Welsh, told me about this tradition, saying she learned about it from Pop's (my grandpa) people in western Pennsylvania. Grandpa's parents came over from Germany, but I don't know from which part of Germany. In any event, the glass pickle ornament is a tradition around here for a long time, the prize being a few extra Christmas cookies, the special kind.

I'm glad that someone posted this topic. I need to ask my husband's boss' wife to see if they do this. My husband's boss is a nephew of Jake Pickle, well-known to those familiar with Texas politics. They have some things around the house that are tied in with pickles, and I think we discussed this once but I'm not sure.

When I first heard about the pickle being a German tradition, I wondered about that part. My father has told us some interesting German stories over the years - his grandfather was straight off the boat from Germany. My dad never shared this story with us, and I'll have to ask him if he had heard of it growing up.

edited to include this update: my friends the Pickles have about 40 pickle ornaments, including one described as being rather ugly, even though it is a Waterford pickle ornament. They are reportedly thinning out the collection.

[This message has been edited by Nancy C. in Shawnee, KS (edited 11-21-2003).]

Our boys (still boys) are now 28, 27, 25 and 22, but 10 years ago, the last year of the pickle tradition at our house, has become a classic Christmas memory.

After our annual Christmas Eve smorgasboard the dishes were cleared and put in the dishwasher. The anticipation of opening presents was thick and the boys were flopping around like fresh caught fish.

We had been hiding a pickle in the tree for about 5 years. The prize for finding the elusive pickle was ususally a special desert or a small stocking stuffer but the glory of being the winner was the real prize!

This last pickle hunt started with all four of our boys carefully looking, proding and snooping for that darned pickle. Since it was very well hidden, the pace kicked up a notch and the careful looking gave way to something resembling a group of Viking Berserks leading an invasion on a small village.

Before we could stop the assault on the tree it suddenly leaned to the left and came down with a crash! Broken ornaments, bent branches and flickering lights on a horizontal tree were not supposed to be part of the pickle hunt, but there it was and there was nothing anyone could do to reverse it.

The deafening silence lasted for what seemed like an eternity was shattered by our number 2 son yelling out, "I found the pickle, I found the pickle!" He then grabbed the pickle and danced around the living room like an overpaid football player after making a touchdown on national television.

The tree was righted, the broken ornaments were cleaned up and the rest of the night went without a hitch but we never hid the pickle in the tree again. Instead, we now reflect on the night the tree came down through story and lore before we open presents on Christmas Eve.

While the story seems to change ever so slightly each year - usually for the best - it is more fun to hear about it than actually looking for that darned pickle!

Steve Kozicky

Steve,

What a wonderful story. I laughed out loud while reading this!! I guess it does not matter where traditions get started. It is just important to have something special that your family will always remember.

Thanks to everyone for their responses. It has been a hoot to read!

Terri

Thank you Deanna for adding the link to the Legends.

I heard the Pickle story, but I do not have a pickle. Pennslyvania Dutch (Deutsch). I always thought they were "Dutch" until a friend of mine said they are German.

The Legend of the Spider is another nice story. My daughter's Girl Scout Leader had the Troop make these out of black 1 1/2 inch wooden beads with a hole down the middle. They added four silver pipe stem cleaners for the eight legs, two small eyes and clear nylon thread to hang, like a web. When I became a Brownie Leader, I had my Troop make these. I still have them after twenty years.

I wanted to make them a few years ago and I can not find the black beads. All I can find are unpainted wooden ones and they would be too messy to paint. I guess Macrame is not that popular these days.





[This message has been edited by Mary F. (edited 11-21-2003).]

bumping links to the legends . . . hope the link still works.

that link didn't work but here is one for Bronner's that does.

http://www.bronners.com/legendssymbolsandtraditions.html

Deana


[This message has been edited by Qwackertoo (edited 12-11-2006).]