The pickle is a German tradition. (Obviously I'm German, sooo....) Traditionaly this pickle (mine is glass, don't know if real ones were ever used) is the last ornament hung on the tree, the child who finds it gets a special prize. (I only have one child, so she has to 'beat' my husband...I found it before my sis this year at Mom's :D ) In our case, my kid got some Dairy Queen Chapsticks.:rolleyes:

I've actually heard 2 stories as to 'why'...one about 2 boys on their way home for Christmas, a mean inn keeper put them in a pickle barrel and St. Nick saved them....:eyebrow2:

My German aunt who is from Hamburg said that they hung it on the tree to symbolize something about a harvest or something....I don't know...she is 95 and 'Oy Vey' not making much sense these days.:sad:

I've heard before that it was all commercial, but from what I have been told by people who are actually FROM Germany....it's a dying tradition that was practiced mainly in Eastern Germany, but that it wasn't made up.

Anyways....maybe not the most exciting tradition....:blush: I am quite shocked to find out that EVERYONE doesn't hang a pickle on their tree...makes perfect sense to me...

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.

LO Now I have to redo my make up I laughed so hard i cryed LOL:D

Thanks!! They are usually more of a bead thing. I actually found a kit on line last night where I could make one if I had to.

lol whats so funny?? I was serious we got a real tree and when we put it up on the stand this black spider just crawled up onto the ceiling.

I swear you never know what you will learn from day to day visiting this site.
Christmas spider and Christmas pickle! I printed them both to read to my granddaughter. We love new Christmas stories.:p


Carol & Buddy:aimeeyork