The Christmas Pickle

12-18-2009 @4:01PM Doc said... This may be a myth. Apparently, few if any people in Germany know about this "Old German Tradition"

See the following for details:
http://german.about.com/library/blgermyth11.htm

We do have on on our tree - but we're not German.
Reply

12-18-2009 @1:43PM StyckyWycket said... Every year, we visit out friends to celebrate Yule, and they hide the pickle in the tree while the guests sit down to dinner, so after dinner, we all hunt for the pickle. The winner gets a gift card to the art gallery in their town.
Reply

12-18-2009 @4:49PM zeta said... In Germany presents are given on Christmas Eve. So the pickle needs to be hidden before that.
Reply

12-20-2009 @8:07PM Animal said... I grew up in Michigan, and my mothers side of the family was German mainly. I never heard of this until a few years ago. Furthermore, I was even stationed in Germany during the tail end of the Vietnam war.
Reply

12-21-2009 @10:52AM Mike said... Just because Germans don't know about the tradition doesn't mean it isn't a German tradition. It could be that at one time the whole of German did it and they just don't remember. It could be like corned beef and the Irish. A lot of Irish claim that corned beef and cabbage isn't a traditional Irish dish and is just something made up by Americans. They point out that most Irish people don't even know what corned beef is, and therefore it isn't traditional. What they don't realize is that Ireland used to be, during Napoleonic times, the biggest producer of corned beef in the world. We maintain a tradition that they have forgotten because our view is just a snapshot of when the Irish emigrated during the potato famine.
Reply

12-20-2009 @11:49PM Thomas said... We heard of the tradition and I modified it for our family as there are no young children left what we do is the person who finds the pickel recieves a special orniment to hang on the tree and a box of chocolates then that person is responsible for hiding the pickel the next year as well as providing the prizes.
Reply

12-20-2009 @11:59PM Homer said... My wife is German. I have lived in Germany for years. Never heard of this so-called "tradition" in Germany, but perhaps another region of Germany? We lived in Baden-Wuerttenberg. Still, we have a pickle now since the kids wanted one!
Reply

12-27-2009 @1:59PM TrueGerman said... I was born, raised and schooled in Germany, did not move to the States until I was 35 yrs old.
I have NEVER, EVER heard of such a tradition in my country, I have NEVER seen anyone do this in my country and only heard about it a few yrs ago in the USA. I then asked my mother and grandmother just to make sure and both asked me if I had lost my mind to come up with such a story, lol. As Zeta already stated, gifts are given on Christmas Eve and as far as St. Nick giving extra gifts....Sankt Nikolaus (St. Nick) appears on Dec. 6 to fill shoes (which the children put outside their doors the night before) with cookies, fruit, nuts and small toys, he NEVER appears on Christmas Eve. Christmas Eve is dedicated to Baby Jesus...called the Christkind (Christ Child), and is the one who brings gifts.
I wonder who on earth ever came up with that pickle story...I promise it is NOT a German tradition, lol.
Reply

12-22-2009 @7:05AM Karen Nichols said... I have German friends and friends from Bavaria that say they have never heard of this German custom until they came to the United States. I found the following article on the subject at german.about.com/library/blgermyth11.htm.
I am not sure if this solves the mystery or just adds to the confusion, but it is worth considering.
Reply

12-21-2009 @3:57AM Manuela said... I to am German. My father was in the air force.While there they lived with a german host family. That to this day keeps in touch with us. They became family. While there my parents adopted me. As a child I was given a book about german christmas traditions.To help me understand my heritage. Other books about germany would follow. And I have them all to this day. The book I speak of was given to me in the early seventies. Now that I have dated myself I am way into my forties. The pickle tradition was in the book. And my family and I have been hiding the pickle in the tree for many years.My children love it. To make it more fun over ten years ago I started putting up more than one tree. Big ones and small. I now have three large trees and ten small table top trees. when it is time to look for the pickle they start running every where. And the winner gets candy and gift. suitable for a girl or boy. You never know who will win.I even miss placed the glass pickle one year and had to hide one off the vegetable tray.Years ago my family started giving one small gift to each other after thanksgiving dinner. Our thankful gift. Because we are thankful for each other. Just someones favorite candy, hairbows, coffee cup ect.... My point being some traditions are just made up and celebrated by indvidual families not more than a few short years ago. And some where started many years ago and are celebrated by many. They are all important in bring families together. So yes the pickle is real. Odd and silly to some. But it makes us smile and creates wonderful memories. New or old go for it. And happy holidays to you and yours.
Reply

12-21-2009 @3:47AM Suka1048 said... I'm Polish and in my 60's. While my immediate family never did this, many of my aunts and uncles did this with some of my cousins. It was always fun to look for the pickle on their tree even if there was no material prize. To us, being the first to find it and point it out was the prize. When I got married I bought my own pickle ornament and remember the "good old days" when I place it on the tree.
Reply

12-21-2009 @6:10AM Alfred Schrader said... My family is from the same town in Germany as Einstein. I never heard of the pickle in a pear tree tradition. If you don't have a pickle ornament handy, hey grab a pickle outta the fridge & throw it on there. Maybe three or four & snack away. Nothing like a good crunchy pickle...Alfred
Reply

12-21-2009 @11:12AM tyler said... my aunt hids the pickle in my grandmothers house and the first to find it gets an extra gift we have been doing it for years now ive won 5 times my sister won 3 times and my cousins both won once i love this tradition even though im almost an adult
Reply