A Christmas tree is not complete without this odd little heirloom ornament. The legend of the Christmas pickle is rich and oh, what stories this tiny glass ornament has to tell! The most common history is a German Christmas tradition where the pickle is hidden amongst the boughs of the tree and the first child to spot it on Christmas Day is given a special gift and blessed with good luck in the New Year. To keep the holiday a happy one, many families hide multiple pickles so that all the children can partake in the festivities.
A second story of the Christmas pickle is that during the Civil War in 1864, Bavarian-born Private John C. Lower was captured and taken to a prison camp. On Christmas Eve, he was starving and begged a guard for food. He was given a pickle and Lower swore it saved his life.
The last legend is the most disturbing and reads a bit like a fireside ghost story. A hateful butcher who owned an inn murdered three young European boys traveling home for Christmas. The evil butcher then hid their bodies in a pickle barrel until one Christmas Eve, St Nicholas visited the bad man and called upon the Holy Spirit to bring the boys back to life.
No matter what legend you choose to embrace, the pickle ornament lives on as a holiday icon and continues to warm the hearts of storytellers all over the world. Your tree will be underdressed without it.
A Christmas tree is not complete without this odd little heirloom ornament. The legend of the Christmas pickle is rich and oh, what stories this tiny glass ornament has to tell! The most common history is a German Christmas tradition where the pickle is hidden amongst the boughs of the tree and the first child to spot it on Christmas Day is given a special gift and blessed with good luck in the New Year. To keep the holiday a happy one, many families hide multiple pickles so that all the children can partake in the festivities.
A second story of the Christmas pickle is that during the Civil War in 1864, Bavarian-born Private John C. Lower was captured and taken to a prison camp. On Christmas Eve, he was starving and begged a guard for food. He was given a pickle and Lower swore it saved his life.
The last legend is the most disturbing and reads a bit like a fireside ghost story. A hateful butcher who owned an inn murdered three young European boys traveling home for Christmas. The evil butcher then hid their bodies in a pickle barrel until one Christmas Eve, St Nicholas visited the bad man and called upon the Holy Spirit to bring the boys back to life.
No matter what legend you choose to embrace, the pickle ornament lives on as a holiday icon and continues to warm the hearts of storytellers all over the world. Your tree will be underdressed without it.
