Do You Have A Pickle On Your Tree?

[kakn7294]

As I am sitting here, supposed to be decorating the tree, I was wondering who else hide a pickle ornament in their tree. I know the "legend" says that it's supposed to be hidden on Christmas Eve for the children to find on Christmas morning, but I put ours on when I decorate the tree.

[QTPie68]

Yep!! I put our WDW pickle up on our tree already. We don't have kids to look for it, but my DH searched for it :thumbsup:.

[Mickey91]

We have one!!:tree::santa3:

[Tinkerfreak]

We have our first pickle ornament this year. Does anyone know the actual tradition. I think you hide it in the tree and whoever finds it gets a special gift. My youngest DD talked to a cm about the pickle ornaments when we were in the WS in November. I got a pickle but am not sure my DD has the tradition right or not.

[DisneyMomma23]

We have our first pickle ornament this year. Does anyone know the actual tradition. I think you hide it in the tree and whoever finds it gets a special gift. My youngest DD talked to a cm about the pickle ornaments when we were in the WS in November. I got a pickle but am not sure my DD has the tradition right or not.

i had never heard of this pickle tradition until stumbling across this thread, sounds cute and we may have to start doing this. this is info i gathered about the tradition from the web:

As legend has it, in Germany parents decorate their Tannenbaums on Christmas Eve. The last ornament hung is die Weinachtsgurke-a delicate glass ornament in the shape of a pickle. This is a significant ornament, for the next morning the children will rush in to open their gifts from St. Nicholas. But the festivities can not begin until one of the children locates the elusive gherkin. The one who finds it gets to open the first gift, and may even receive an extra treat for his or her effort. So the story is told here in America. Glass Christmas Pickles are a popular ornament, and usually come with the curious legend tucked or printed on the box.

The oddest part about this legend is that it is virtually unknown in Germany. Nobody knows where it came from, or who started it. Well known is the fact that the decorating of Christmas Trees with lights, ornaments, and tinsel originated in Germany, but unless the Pickle Tradition was practiced in a remote region of the fatherland, it is likely that the legend was created at least in part by Americans, perhaps of German descent. There are several stories floating around about how the tradition may have started.

[SBETigg]

There are varying legends regarding the pickle on the tree. I'd first heard of it here on INTERCOT and then I researched it. Some say it's a Bavarian tradition. Others credit it to a Civil War soldier. From all indications, it's a made-up tale but fun for the kid who first finds the pickle on Christmas morning and will supposedly have luck year-round, or receive a special gift. We don't have a pickle on our tree.

[Momof2boys]

We have a mini pickle on our tree (harder for the kids to find).

[pixiegoose]

We have a pickle on our tree. My parents have 2 or 3 pickles on their tree, I think.

[Ian]

The Christmas store in Germany (Epcot's Germany, not the real Germany) has a whole pickle display there that tells the legend and, of course, sells pickle ornaments.

We don't have one, though, because well ... we're not German. ;)

[teambricker04]

We have a pickle! It is like a little gherkin :) We aren't German either, but I think it is fun. the DSs are too little to get that you have to find the pickle.

We are more apt to celebrate Santa Lucia Day, but call me crazy, I don't want to be the one to wake up early, wear candles on my head all while delivering my family coffee and saffron buns.

[Jasper]

The pickle "legend" was created by a glass company here in America in the late 1800's to; you guessed it; sell more glass ornaments!! I have forgotten the name of the company but they are now out of business. Apparently sometime after the civil war this company was in the business of making glass canning jars which sold well in the summertime. However, in the late fall and winter there was little demand for canning jars so the company got into making glass Christmas ornaments. In order to sell more they invented the legend of the pickle and placed it in Germany because so many other Christmas traditions had come from there.

[diz_girl]

The oddest part about this legend is that it is virtually unknown in Germany. Nobody knows where it came from, or who started it. Well known is the fact that the decorating of Christmas Trees with lights, ornaments, and tinsel originated in Germany, but unless the Pickle Tradition was practiced in a remote region of the fatherland, it is likely that the legend was created at least in part by Americans, perhaps of German descent. There are several stories floating around about how the tradition may have started.

My MIL is German (from Berlin) and had never heard of any tradition regarding a pickle ornament.

It sounds nice, but it is probably just a marketing ploy.

[dolphinmickey9170]

I'm not german either, Ian, but we still have one.;)HEHEHE It's a fun thing to do for the kid in all of us!

Although, right now, I couldn't tell you where it is 'cuz the cat keeps climbing the tree and the ornaments are not where they were first placed.:blush: Silly Princess.

[kakn7294]

I'm not german either, Ian, but we still have one.;)HEHEHE It's a fun thing to do for the kid in all of us!

Although, right now, I couldn't tell you where it is 'cuz the cat keeps climbing the tree and the ornaments are not where they were first placed.:blush: Silly Princess.I knew you had one - and with Princess in the house, it just might be that you HAD one (and don't anymore!). And our 2 new kitties are why my tree was naked for so long! I waited until I knew how they were going to react to it first before I decorated.

We're not German either and it's really not a German tradition despite being credited to being one but it's still a bit of silly little fun. I love having a pickle for my tree!

[Georgesgirl1]

We have a pickle that we bought at WDW a few years ago. We thought it would be a fun tradition to start even if it isn't really from Germany.

[Ed]

It's supposed to be a pickle? :confused: :shrug:

And all these years, I've been hanging an onion on my tree......... :blush: :doh:

:tree:

[Tink2002]

I have my first itty bitty (4 footer! haha) christmas tree this year! And there IS a pickle from the Christmas store in Germany on it. Granted it isn't really for hiding and trying to find... wouldn't be much of a hunt! It's a nice conversation starter, though, amongst my grinches, red sox and pats ornaments, and tinkerbelles! Gotta love tiny college apartments. ;)

[alphamommy]

We don't have one on our tree, but the family has one.

DH & I bought one at WS years ago, and took it to my in-laws' house and hid it on the tree. Before we could tell the story, my BIL said, "Mom, why is there a pickle on your tree?" She didn't know anything about it! We explained, and awarded the special gift to him: a jar of our homemade pickles!

Over the course of the next few years, my in-laws kept up the tradition, and I think the same BIL found it first several more times.

When they started being off in warmer weather during the holidays a few years ago, the pickle remained packed away with their ornaments at their house. When they come back in the spring, I'll have to talk to my MIL about getting it back from her.

[pixiesmimi]

We don't have a pickle but after all the years I had a gift shop, I saw a lot of pickle ornaments. I may have researched it at one time and knew what it was but had forgotten about it. I wondered the other day when I saw a blown glass pickle ornament what it was. :blush: But we do have an Elf on a Shelf. Do you know about that tradition? :)

[SurferStitch]

There's a pickle from Germany (purchased in Epcot) on our tree!

[brownie]

We don't but the boys asked if we could hide one. Of course, then they started speculating about what they would get for finding it.

[Tinksalot]

I bought our pickle in Germany last October when we were there and I asked the girls behind the counter what meaning of it was. They had no idea! Another older lady that also worked there said you hide the pickle on your tree and the first one that finds it gets a special gift. We never had a pickle on our tree growing up though, and we are German. :tree:

[Ed]

But we do have an Elf on a Shelf. Do you know about that tradition? :)

I had never heard of that until recently.

Elf on the Shelf is a little elf doll that reports directly to Santa Claus. Kids can tell the elf their Christmas wishes. They may also want to be on their very best behavior as the Elf on the Shelf has Santa's ear. Some children also like to name their elf.

Place the little elf around your home during the weeks before Christmas. During the holidays the elf watches children carefully during the day. At night when the kids are sleeping the elf magically returns to the North Pole to report to Santa Claus. In the morning the elf appears in a new place which offers a daily hide-and-seek ritual for kids. Kids will love trying to locate the elf's new location each morning.

Do a Google search on "Elf on the Shelf" for lots more info. Sounds like a lot of fun!

[pixiesmimi]

I had never heard of that until recently.

Elf on the Shelf is a little elf doll that reports directly to Santa Claus. Kids can tell the elf their Christmas wishes. They may also want to be on their very best behavior as the Elf on the Shelf has Santa's ear. Some children also like to name their elf.

Place the little elf around your home during the weeks before Christmas. During the holidays the elf watches children carefully during the day. At night when the kids are sleeping the elf magically returns to the North Pole to report to Santa Claus. In the morning the elf appears in a new place which offers a daily hide-and-seek ritual for kids. Kids will love trying to locate the elf's new location each morning.

Do a Google search on "Elf on the Shelf" for lots more info. Sounds like a lot of fun!

Exactly. I purchased one the other day for my DGDs. I had not heard of it until recently. Then when I saw the elf I realized it looked just like the little elf that we had in our decorations when I was a child. I wonder if it was around back then and my parents just didn't know the tradition because they never told us the story. :) Sorry to hijack the thread. The pickle just reminded me of this. :blush:

[MNNHFLTX]

I grew up in a family with a German background (both father and mother's sides of the family) and we never had a pickle in the tree. I do, however, have one on my tree, but it is through a mix-up. A couple of years back I had bought a glass bird ornament for my tree at the shop in the Germany pavilion at Epcot and the CM went to box it up for me and send it back to my resort. I never did look at the contents of the box again until I got home and realized that he had accidentally boxed-up someone else's pickle ornament and given it to me! Since then, I have grown to enjoy my pickle ornament and I can only hope that the person who got my bird ornament feels the same. :tree:

[jrkcr]

Yep! We've had a pickle on our tree for years. We put it out where everyone can see it. Then on Christmas Eve, Santa hides it, and all the kids look for it on Christmas morning. Santa leaves a special gift for the pickle person-usually candy.

[IamBelle]

I saw this in a Germany gift shop in WS and we didn't get it. I saw it again at a christmas shop at the mall, and didn't get it. Hopefully,I can persuade my parents to start this tradition, it sounds like fun!

[DisneyorBust]

We happen to have two pickle ornaments on our tree, coincidentally they were both purchased at the Germany Pavillion too!
I love the tradition of the pickle ornament, even if it was a 'marketing ploy' !