The pickle is a German symbol of good luck. Wouldn’t it then make sense to decorate your Christmas tree full of pickles? That would be silly, but my wife told me about a Christmas tradition that her family shared when she was growing up that we have adopted for our own family.
Traditionally, German parents decorated the tree on Christmas Eve. The pickle ornament would be placed last, hidden from immediate view. On Christmas morning, the first child to locate the pickle was rewarded with an extra present.
Today, we do things a bit differently. The Christmas tree goes up the day after Thanksgiving and the ornament gets hidden on Christmas Eve. The “pickle present,” as we now call it, is simple, such as candy. The pickle tradition is something fun from my wife’s heritage and childhood that we can carry over to our family. Isn’t that what family is all about?
When I first heard about the Christmas pickle I laughed. My mother-in-law promptly scolded me as if I were a child again. She explained to me that she held the same tradition as a child growing up and was happy to share it with her two daughters.
While we do not have children of our own yet, we do have plenty of family and friends who visit over the holidays. It is a joy to see the kids search our tree looking for the pickle. It is something they all know we do at our house and keeps the kids occupied for at least a few minutes from the moment they walk in the door. Often they do not even get their coats off before they head straight to the tree.
It is not as much about the treat for them as it is a Christmas game at our place.
Perhaps there is truth to the story of the Christmas pickle after all. It is said to bring good luck to your home. For us, it brings family and friends together, keeps the children happy and joyful, and gives me a fun story to share.
Talk about lucky!