I love traditions. All kinds of traditions. Family Reunions. 80th Birthday parties. Fourth of July picnics. Ham on Easter and Hot Crossed Buns, too. Thanksgiving, turkey, of course.
Then, there's my favorite. Christmas and the Dill Pickle. I had never even heard of this tradition until I was an adult...well...old. When one year I heard about a custom that takes place in Germany and considering I have some German ancestry, I was smitten with the Dill Pickle lore.
It seems the legend of putting a dill pickle on a Christmas tree came into being around 1847, in Laschau, Germany. A town known for it's glass making companies, and were "among the first to produce the beautiful blown glass ornaments used today on Christmas trees". And, probably produced the first dill pickle ornaments.
Of course, who would ever think of looking for a dill pickle on a tree? Obviously, a mommy and daddy, eager to have some special moments with their bright eyed children. Maybe mommy and daddy told them Weihnachtsmann (Santa Claus) hid the pickle on the tree after placing the presents under it, and just before eating the cookies and drinking the milk the children have left for him.
Anyway, I can envision rosy cheeked, pajama clothed children waking Christmas morning ripping open presents, then gathering around a paper strewn, bow and ribbon cluttered tree eager to be the one to find the green, bumpy, curved, shiny pickle hidden deep within the bowels of the family fir tree.
I became enamored with the idea of having a pickle on my tree, and I set about trying to find one. It was not easy at the time, and it took some research and snooping around the Internet to find someone who sold them. But, perseverance paid off. I found a dill pickle ornament, and that Christmas I hid it on the tree.
Then I made the announcement to kids there was a pickle on the tree, and whoever found it would get a five dollar bill. Well, you can imagine my rosy cheeked kids gathering round my tree looking for the green, bumpy, curved, shiny pickle hidden deep within the bowels of my artificial fir tree.
There after, I never had to mention the pickle again, because the search for it began as soon and the grand kids arrived. Oh, but they got older, smarter, more astute, and, since they now knew what the pickle looked like it was much more easy to find. So, grandma, not to be deterred, one year announced the pickle was indeed hidden, just not on the tree. The gauntlet had been thrown. With a whole house to explore, it was a much better challenge. Ha, ha.
Over the years the pickle has been hidden up, down and in the middle. Then, two years ago, I had an idea. I'd change things up and not hide the pickle. Instead, I went shopping for (are you ready for this) dill pickle earrings. Would I be stymied? Nope. And thanks to "Esty" and a lady who makes original, tiny, hand made items, I found a pair of dill pickle earrings. It was her last.
Well, I figured nobody would notice the tiny pickles hanging from my lobes, and they would search and search for the original ornament. Well, shoot, within the hour my granddaughter not only noticed but commented on my "cute" dill pickle earrings. Dang it!
So, last year I went back to the original ornament, and I hid it down low, and in sight so that my youngest granddaughter could find it. I confess, I gave her a lot of hints.
This year, I think I did a pretty good job at hiding the pickle, I've had to remind myself a couple of times where it is and have checked to make sure it is still in place. I'm hoping it will take a long time for somebody to find it. And, I would be absolutely delighted if nobody did.
This year there is an added touch to the dill pickle saga. I'm able to make jigsaw puzzles in my Zazzle store, and I've made a pickle puzzle. It is green! Green. Green. and the pickles are in various sizes so I think this will be an added challenge for my Christmas guests. I'm thinking whoever places the last piece to the puzzle just might get an extra gift.
So dear family. IT IS DILL PICKLE TIME AT GRANDMA'S HOUSE. You ready?
P.S. German word for the Christmas pickle ornament is Weihnachtsgurke.
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