By : Scott Magee
One day as a new associate for www.ThinkFastToys.com, I was checking in some of our Christmas ornaments, and I came across a box of pickle ornaments. Now, growing up as a kid in my house, my brother and I would have ornaments of our favorite super hero’s, cartoon characters, etc.. We never had pickles. So needless to say, I was a little confused. So one of our other associates then told me about the German Christmas Pickle Tradition.
Upon researching this a little further, I’ve come to realize that this story is based more on myth, than a tradition that I can just tell you about. There are 3 varying stories that I’ve located and each are rather intriguing, but none can be verified as the “True” reason as to why people are putting pickles on their Christmas Tree’s.
The Tradition :
The story of the Christmas Pickle goes like this …. An old Christmas Eve tradition in Germany was for families to hide a pickle deep into the Christmas Tree. The pickle was hung last after all the other ornaments were in place. On Christmas morning, whichever child was most observant would receive an extra present from St. Nicholas if they found the pickle first. If and adult should find the pickle, they would then get good luck for an entire year.
The story above ( with some variations )can be found all over the internet and even printed inside most pickle ornament packaging. Many people have used glass pickle ornaments in more recent times, so as to not make a mess. Although fruit and vegetable ornaments have been around since the late 1500’s. The odd thing about all this Pickle Conspiracy is that people in Germany, haven’t really heard of the tradition. Either way, pickles are being hung on tree’s and were trying to figure out why?
The Legends :
One of the earliest legends I came across, comes from as far back as the middle ages. The legend states that two boys were going home for Christmas. They became tired from the journey and stopped for the night at an Inn. The innkeeper would later imprison the two boys in a pickle barrel. On that night, St. Nicholas also stopped at the Inn, he heard the boys yelling for help, and he freed them from the pickle barrel.
The first legend sounds believable, but it sounds more like a warning to two little children who may have been acting up around the holidays, so the parents made a story up to frighten the children into not acting up. Or it could have been a really great bedtime story that made its way through different generations. I must admit it’s a clever story.
The next story is actually fact based, but there is still no proof that the origins are related directly back to the Pickle Tradition. Glass ornaments have been produced in small town in Germany as early as 1597. The town of Lauscha, which is now in the German state of Thuringia, is well known for its glass-blowing industry. In 1847 a few of the craftsmen there, began to make glass ornaments in the shape of fruits and nuts. The ornaments were made in a very unique process and combined with various molds. Soon after, the unique ornaments were being exported to various parts of Europe, England as well as the United States.
So, in some cases one could argue that because these ornaments were manufactured in Germany, that they were based off of a German tradition. It’s a good argument, but, the answer to the mystery is still not answered. Could it have been a case of clever marketing by a store trying to sell a boat load of Pickle Ornaments that they purchased and couldn’t sell ? Or did the legend of the two boys imprisoned in a pickle barrel actually take place? Ah, but there is yet one more legend to add to this growing tale of the Pickle Tradition.
The final legend takes place during the American Civil war and involves a man imprisoned in Andersonville, Georgia. In poor health and starving, John Lower ( born in Bavaria ) begged a guard for just one pickle before he died. The guard felt sorry for the prisoner and found him a pickle. According to the legend, John said that the pickle “ by the grace of god”, gave him the mental and physical strength to live on. Once he was reunited with his family, he began a tradition of hiding a pickle on his family’s Christmas Tree. Whoever found said pickle on Christmas morning would be blessed with a year of good fortune.
The Truth :
There is no answer to the burning question .. “ where did the pickle tradition come from”? I have done some homework on this and I have given you 3 great stories to think about, so I’m gonna leave this one for you to figure out. No matter what the truth may be, Its a neat and very different tradition to celebrate. And with so many variations to the tradition, you could easily come up with a version for your family to use during the holidays.
The basis on the German legend encouraged children to appreciate all the ornaments ( or gifts ) on the Christmas Tree, rather than rushing to see what St. Nicholas had left for them. If you read into each of the legends, they show that Christmas is about appreciation, being thankful for what we have, and cherishing our love ones. The best holiday is one that is spent in the company of family and friends.
I hope everyone has enjoyed this article and be sure to check out some of the great Christmas Ornaments that we have available at www.ThinkFastToys.com and maybe start your own tradition of hiding the Cheeseburger Ornament !! We hope all of you have a wonderful Holiday Season from our family to yours.
