Greetings fellow ornament lovers! Today's spotlight ornament is very near and dear to my heart. As you can see, the ornament is a pickle. Yes, a pickle! Some of you may have already heard about this old tradition, but for those of you who have not, well, the lid explains it all! The Christmas Pickle makes its appearance every year on Christmas Eve. It is hidden somewhere deep within the tree, and the child who finds it receives a special gift on Christmas morning. My daughter loves this tradition. Her elf, Gumdrop Lollipop, brought it as a present a few years ago, and it has been an annual tradition ever since.
The lid says this is an old German tradition. You can find all kinds of fun legends and myths about how this tradition began on the internet. I'm not sure if anyone really knows how the Christmas Pickle came about, but I say pick the story that speaks to you the most to pass down to your children or grandchildren. I discovered the Christmas Pickle when I was a little girl touring the Belle Meade Mansion during their annual Century of Christmas. That tour must have made a huge impression on me as a young girl, because I still remember how beautifully decorated the plantation was. But what really stuck was the finale, getting to see what a real Victorian Christmas tree would have looked like. It was gorgeous, and unlike the Christmas trees I was accustomed to. I specifically remember seeing an orange and a pickle on the tree. I was so curious. Why on earth would someone put an orange or pickle on a Christmas tree??? Turns out the pickle was an age old tradition, and the orange was a sweet treat during a time of year when fruit was scarce. Gifts sure have changed through the generations!
I found my pickle at Dillard's a few years ago, so I do not know if you can still find them there. However, you may have luck with Amazon or Etsy. What do you think of the Christmas Pickle tradition?