Glass Pickles on your tree and other Christmas Traditions

[Weedygarden]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris... to his family,their Christmas tree each year.

The house I'm staying in has a glass pickle on their Christmas tree. Does anyone else have a glass pickle on their tree?

In the tradition, an ornamental pickle is placed on a Christmas tree as one of the Christmas decorations. On Christmas morning, the first person to find the pickle on the tree would receive an extra present from Santa Claus or would be said to have a year of good fortune.[1]

Berrien Springs, Michigan, which billed itself as the Christmas pickle capital of the world,[2] held a pickle parade from 1992 until about 2003.[3]

Origins[edit]
This tradition is commonly believed by Americans to come from Germany and be referred to as a Weihnachtsgurke,[4][5] but this is probably apocryphal.[6][4][1] It has been suggested that the origin of the Christmas pickle may have been developed for marketing purposes in the 1890s to coincide with the importation of glass Christmas tree decorations from Germany. Woolworths was the first company to import these types of decorations into the United States in 1890,[4] and glass blown decorative vegetables were imported from France from 1892 onwards.[7] Despite the evidence showing that the tradition did not originate in Germany, the concept of Christmas pickles has since been imported from the United States and they are now on sale in the country traditionally associated with it.[4]

One suggested origin has been that the tradition came from Camp Sumter during the American Civil War. The Bavarian-born Private John C. Lower had enlisted in the 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry, but was captured in April 1864 and taken to the prison camp. As the story is told, on Christmas Eve he begged a guard for a pickle while starving. The guard provided the pickle, which Lower later credited for saving his life. (more)

 

[Meerkat]

So Private John C. Lower was 'in a real pickle'.
These traditions live on long afterr we're gone.

 

[phideaux]

We hang all the kids and grandkids ornaments that they made when they were little kids.

Be hard to hang a ham.

Jim

 

[Amish Heart]

We have a pickle and it goes on last.

 

[Weedygarden]

We have a glass pickle. I believe it is my daughter's favorite ornament. We have ornaments that she made growing up as well.

I have read that the person who spies the pickle first gets a prize. Since Clausen pickles are hard to find this year, we have already talked about a jar of pickles as that prize. That would mean one less jar of pickles for daughter to consume. Clausen pickles are hard to find this year because of a jar shortage.

 

[backlash]

I had never heard of a glass pickle.

 

[Meerkat]

I had never heard of a glass pickle.

Me either.

 

[Sparky_D]

When I was younger, my mom's tradition was that we would put the pickle ornament on the plate with Santa's cookies (and carrot sticks for the reindeer).
Santa put the pickle on the tree Christmas Eve to be found Christmas morning.
The person that found it would get the extra gift (usually cash, since my sister and I had different tastes, lol)) and hang the pickle in their room till next year for good luck.

Eventually, the tradition carried over to our kids to find the pickle on Christmas when we visited, but the pickle stayed at Nana's house. Of course, the cash gift grew over the years from around $5 when I was younger to $20 the last time my kids were young enough to qualify.

Only my sisters oldest child has children, and since they recently moved here from Tennessee, I feel the tradition will once again come alive...

 

[LadyLocust]

Yep. Looks just like the picture posted. I would hang it after the kids went to bed and whoever found it got “the pickle prize” which was always wrapped in brown paper and usually required more than one person (I know 1 year it was a connect 4 game).

 

[Weedygarden]

Some years I do very little decorating. If I do decorate, my nativity scene is the first thing I put up. It is a Czech made nativity scene with around 60 pieces. The pieces, besides the Holy family, animals, angels, shepherds, etc., are people dressed in their native celebration dress. The pieces are numbered, and there is a list which tells where they are from. Every village has its own style of dress, or costume. I have ancestors from several villages and have found the costumes for a couple in the mix.

 

[Grimm]

Our tradition is every year we each pick out one new ornament for the tree. My parents did this with me and I do it with the girls. The idea is that when they are grown and starting their own families they will have ornaments for their own trees to share with their kids.

 

[Grimm]

I also started to make putz houses when Roo was 2. The first was an A-frame like the one we were living in. I have tried making a new one every year but last year and when Juju was born I didn't get to make one. I have one now that is mostly finished. I need to glue it together and mounted on its base before it can be covered in glitter.

https://paperglitterglue.com/what-is-a-putz-house-and-how-do-you-make-one/

 

[LadyLocust]

I also started to make putz houses when Roo was 2. The first was an A-frame like the one we were living in. I have tried making a new one every year but last year and when Juju was born I didn't get to make one. I have one now that is mostly finished. I need to glue it together and mounted on its base before it can be covered in glitter.

https://paperglitterglue.com/what-is-a-putz-house-and-how-do-you-make-one/

I had never heard of those. They’re cute.

 

[Grimm]

I had never heard of those. They’re cute.

I started by making one from THIS site with mid century modern style putz houses. After the second year I started modifying the patterns. I made a 'putz' Tardis one year. (We watch Dr. Who around the holidays when they have a marathon.). 2 years back I made a church from a pattern but I enlarged it so it is the same scale as the rest. 1:48 or 'O' scale for model train geeks.

This year's is an original design inspired from a painting by El Gato Gomez. I used the basic design from the painting and colors but it is to 1:48 scale and a mirror image. Every year I gain a new technique to make it easier the following year.

 

[Morgan101]

I had never heard of the glass pickle, so No, we don't have one. We have some handmade ornaments we have accumulated through the years, and some traditional ones my wife and I have had since childhood. When we got married our parents started to pass things down.

I remember as a child some of the handmade ornaments my parents had. They were Depression children, and made ornaments out of everything. They were all just ornaments to us. I remember my Mom explaining what they were and how they made them. We also used to string popcorn and cranberries to put on the tree, but we haven't done that in years. Does anybody else still do that? I think it was replaced by garland.

 

[bamadeb48]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chris... to his family,their Christmas tree each year.

The house I'm staying in has a glass pickle on their Christmas tree. Does anyone else have a glass pickle on their tree?

View attachment 54488
In the tradition, an ornamental pickle is placed on a Christmas tree as one of the Christmas decorations. On Christmas morning, the first person to find the pickle on the tree would receive an extra present from Santa Claus or would be said to have a year of good fortune.[1]

Berrien Springs, Michigan, which billed itself as the Christmas pickle capital of the world,[2] held a pickle parade from 1992 until about 2003.[3]

Origins[edit]
This tradition is commonly believed by Americans to come from Germany and be referred to as a Weihnachtsgurke,[4][5] but this is probably apocryphal.[6][4][1] It has been suggested that the origin of the Christmas pickle may have been developed for marketing purposes in the 1890s to coincide with the importation of glass Christmas tree decorations from Germany. Woolworths was the first company to import these types of decorations into the United States in 1890,[4] and glass blown decorative vegetables were imported from France from 1892 onwards.[7] Despite the evidence showing that the tradition did not originate in Germany, the concept of Christmas pickles has since been imported from the United States and they are now on sale in the country traditionally associated with it.[4]

One suggested origin has been that the tradition came from Camp Sumter during the American Civil War. The Bavarian-born Private John C. Lower had enlisted in the 103rd Pennsylvania Infantry, but was captured in April 1864 and taken to the prison camp. As the story is told, on Christmas Eve he begged a guard for a pickle while starving. The guard provided the pickle, which Lower later credited for saving his life. (more)

I had some in a jar so pretty but got rid of them regret it

 

[Weedygarden]

I had never heard of the glass pickle, so No, we don't have one. We have some handmade ornaments we have accumulated through the years, and some traditional ones my wife and I have had since childhood. When we got married our parents started to pass things down.

I remember as a child some of the handmade ornaments my parents had. They were Depression children, and made ornaments out of everything. They were all just ornaments to us. I remember my Mom explaining what they were and how they made them. We also used to string popcorn and cranberries to put on the tree, but we haven't done that in years. Does anybody else still do that? I think it was replaced by garland.

Both of my parents grew up in homes where during the depression, they had times when they didn't know what their next meal was going to be.

My mother was creative and worked with her hands. One year, she took walnuts in the shell, broke them in half, cleaned them out, glued them back together, inserting ornament hooks, and then painted them and put some glitter on them.

Not all of her gifts were handmade, but some were. I remember one year, a magazine, The Workbasket, had a pattern to make Humpty Dumpty pajama bags. All of my cousins got one of those to keep their pajamas in on their beds from her that year. That was back in the days when most people had one pair of pajamas, not a drawer full like I do now.

 

[Weedygarden]

This is what I would like to have as a Christmas decoration.

 

[Weedygarden]

The Christmas Wreath

https://www.almanac.com/story-behin...W0wwkQz0t6PP0Llu3ZWha1RSH19cUOsIXioOnTTGcIIqY
This time of year, there are Christmas wreaths adorning everywhere imaginable—from doors and fences to lampposts and windows—even the front grille of the car! How did a round bit of greenery come to symbolize the holidays?

Wreaths are part of many ancient traditions dating back to the earliest civilizations. The circle is a symbol of immortality; throughout history, wreaths have been associated with life, rejuvenation, and renewal. Originally, wreaths were worn around the head, neck, or waist.

The Greeks awarded laurel wreaths to their triumphant athletes, in the Persian Empire they were worn on the head as a symbol of importance, and ancient Romans wore them like crowns. In Sweden, candles were incorporated in the wreaths to celebrate the return of light after the winter solstice. Nowadays we use them in a window or on a door as a sign of welcome during the holidays.


They can be used flat on a table for decoration or as an advent wreath, which also has candles, one for each Sunday between Thanksgiving and Christmas.

YULE LOVE THIS WREATH
Every year on the Saturday after Thanksgiving, my local library has a wreath-making workshop. The library supplies the greens and wire and you bring your own wreath form, gloves, clippers, and enthusiasm. All the wreaths that are made that day are beautiful and all are different. Luckily, there are no hard and fast rules for wreath-making. Whatever pleases you is a success!

Every wreath starts with a base of some sort; it can be wire, straw, vine, or wood. Stalks of woody herbs like rosemary, lemon verbena, artemisia, or summer savory can be wrapped into a circle to make a fragrant base. Gather small bunches of evergreens together and wire them to the base. Overlap the bunches to hide the stems. Tuck small bunches of herbs and other interesting greens into the base using more wire to hold them if necessary. Using greens of different colors and textures will give your wreath its richness. Add cones, dried flowers, berries, and fruit for accents. Don’t forget the bow!

 

[Weedygarden]

Many things that Christians do for Christmas and other times, are taken from pagan's practices. A friend shared this and it is interesting. This is from a pagan website.

Anyone ever have someone act as Santa Lucia in your home?

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thewa...C37Zl8TpjaLhoU3NGyiS4slHXI_nWuFB2kmBfA1JkhZsM
December 13 is the feast day of Sankta Lucia, the patron saint of Sweden. Until the Pope Gregory XII made the Gregorian calendar official in AD 1582, the winter solstice fell on December 13-Lucia’s feast day. Lucia (Lucy) was actually an Italian, she is celebrated in certain parts of Italy, but she is most associated with the Nordic countries.

As I write this, a fresh batch of Lussekatter is baking in my oven, smells of saffron and cardamom waft through my house, and fresh snow piles up outside my windows (Try not to be too jealous)

Now you may be wondering, what in the name of Thor is an Italian saint doing as the patron saint of Sweden? I’ll get to that, but first let me tell you the story of St. Lucia as we know it today.

Saint Lucia was born in Sicily in the third century AD to a Christian family. During this time the Romans were still persecuting Christians as troublemakers and cannibals. When Lucia’s father died, she vowed to remain unmarried and to serve god. However, she had already been betrothed to a non-Christian. Lucia refused the marriage and proceeded to give her dowry to Christians who were in hiding.
Legend says she brought food down into the catacombs where Christians were hiding, led only by candles which she had placed in a crown around her head. In response, her would- be suitor reported her to the authorities and had her tried and convicted as a Christian. The judge decided to have her sold into slavery as punishment. When the guards came to take her away, however, they were unable to move her. They decided to kill her on the spot, so they poured oil on her and tried to light her on fire. But she would not burn. They finally decided to stab her with a sword, which seemed to have done the trick. This all supposedly happened on December 13, AD 304. She was a made a saint because of her faithfulness to god and the seeming miracles that saved her from being sold into slavery and from the fire (use a sword, always use a sword).

No one knows for sure who brought the story of Lucia to Sweden but once it was there it took off. One story about the origin of Lucia in Sweden, dates back to the Middle Ages. The Swedish province of Varmland was having a terrible famine and the people were starving. On the longest night of the year (which happened to be December 13), a light suddenly appeared on Lake Vanern. It came from a large white boat, at the helm was a beautiful woman in a white gown wearing a crown of lights. The ship was filled with food and once it was unloaded it disappeared. Saint Lucia had come to rescue Varmland!
In the modern tradition, the eldest daughter wakes up early in the wee hours of the morning and makes kaffe (coffee) and Lussekatter (saffron rolls). She then dons a white robe with a red sash, puts a crown of candles in her hair, and wakes up the family with fresh coffee and rolls all the while singing. Miracles are known to happen on this day and it’s not uncommon for animals to talk!

Lucia’s association with light and the solstice is what most scholars believe made her such a hit in Scandinavia. In the deep winter, Northern countries may only see hours of sunlight during the day. The winter solstice would have been a time of celebration as it would have marked the halfway point of winter and signaled the return of lighter days. In an agrarian society, the importance of this can’t possibly be over stressed.

In Pre-Christian Scandinavia, the sun was represented as a solar goddess-Sol or Sunna. She is the sister of the moon and drives the chariot of the sun across the sky every day. Pulled by Allsvinn (very fast) and Arvak (early rising), the chariot is pursued by the wolf Skoll. Who sometimes comes so close that he is able to take a bit out the sun, causing an eclipse. Sunna would have been hugely important during this time of the year and Yule celebrations most surely would have honored her. It is pretty generally accepted that the feast day of St Lucia and the winter solstice are closely related. It is not too much further of a stretch to see the correlation between Lucia and Sunna, as this is a common theme among catholic saints.
As a modern pagan with a strong Swedish background, I have fully accepted the connection between Lucia and Sunna. This was one of my favorite holidays as a child and one that my family always placed a big emphasis on it. It was no surprise to me, years later, when as a pagan I found out the connection between St Lucia and pagan traditions. It fills my heart with joy to think about the fact that my family is still carrying on this tradition and that my siblings and I will be passing it onto the next.

Yours truly as Lucia, probably around age seven. Note the stuffed cheeks and half eaten bun hidden under the tray


If you would like to honor Lucia/Sunna this December 13 here are some ways to do it:
-make Lucia Buns, serve them to friends, family, or even bring them to work!
– Sing this version of the traditional Lucia, ‘reheathenized’
-Meditate on the importance of light and the sun, take this time to focus on staying positive even during dark times.

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thewanderingwitch/2017/12/the-evolution-of-mary/

 

[SheepDog]

Well I find that wonderful and interesting.
There is no doubt that the story if wonderful. The miracle of feeding the masses is always a good story.
What I find interesting is the adoption of a Christian saint into a pagan religion. Normally the Christians take on the celebrations of pagan faiths and persons in order to make it more acceptable to people of pagan faiths.
The world goes round and round to be refound.

 

[Weedygarden]

Well I find that wonderful and interesting.
There is no doubt that the story if wonderful. The miracle of feeding the masses is always a good story.
What I find interesting is the adoption of a Christian saint into a pagan religion. Normally the Christians take on the celebrations of pagan faiths and persons in order to make it more acceptable to people of pagan faiths.
The world goes round and round to be refound.

Yes, many Christian celebrations are around the same time as pagan celebrations. I heard this was done by the Christian church because people who were previously pagans, and then became Christians, were always drawn back into pagan celebrations.

 

[Grimm]

Many things that Christians do for Christmas and other times, are taken from pagan's practices. A friend shared this and it is interesting. This is from a pagan website.

Anyone ever have someone act as Santa Lucia in your home?

https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thewa...C37Zl8TpjaLhoU3NGyiS4slHXI_nWuFB2kmBfA1JkhZsM
December 13 is the feast day of Sankta Lucia, the patron saint of Sweden. Until the Pope Gregory XII made the Gregorian calendar official in AD 1582, the winter solstice fell on December 13-Lucia’s feast day. Lucia (Lucy) was actually an Italian, she is celebrated in certain parts of Italy, but she is most associated with the Nordic countries.

As I write this, a fresh batch of Lussekatter is baking in my oven, smells of saffron and cardamom waft through my house, and fresh snow piles up outside my windows (Try not to be too jealous)

Now you may be wondering, what in the name of Thor is an Italian saint doing as the patron saint of Sweden? I’ll get to that, but first let me tell you the story of St. Lucia as we know it today.

Saint Lucia was born in Sicily in the third century AD to a Christian family. During this time the Romans were still persecuting Christians as troublemakers and cannibals. When Lucia’s father died, she vowed to remain unmarried and to serve god. However, she had already been betrothed to a non-Christian. Lucia refused the marriage and proceeded to give her dowry to Christians who were in hiding.
Legend says she brought food down into the catacombs where Christians were hiding, led only by candles which she had placed in a crown around her head. In response, her would- be suitor reported her to the authorities and had her tried and convicted as a Christian. The judge decided to have her sold into slavery as punishment. When the guards came to take her away, however, they were unable to move her. They decided to kill her on the spot, so they poured oil on her and tried to light her on fire. But she would not burn. They finally decided to stab her with a sword, which seemed to have done the trick. This all supposedly happened on December 13, AD 304. She was a made a saint because of her faithfulness to god and the seeming miracles that saved her from being sold into slavery and from the fire (use a sword, always use a sword).

No one knows for sure who brought the story of Lucia to Sweden but once it was there it took off. One story about the origin of Lucia in Sweden, dates back to the Middle Ages. The Swedish province of Varmland was having a terrible famine and the people were starving. On the longest night of the year (which happened to be December 13), a light suddenly appeared on Lake Vanern. It came from a large white boat, at the helm was a beautiful woman in a white gown wearing a crown of lights. The ship was filled with food and once it was unloaded it disappeared. Saint Lucia had come to rescue Varmland!
In the modern tradition, the eldest daughter wakes up early in the wee hours of the morning and makes kaffe (coffee) and Lussekatter (saffron rolls). She then dons a white robe with a red sash, puts a crown of candles in her hair, and wakes up the family with fresh coffee and rolls all the while singing. Miracles are known to happen on this day and it’s not uncommon for animals to talk!

Lucia’s association with light and the solstice is what most scholars believe made her such a hit in Scandinavia. In the deep winter, Northern countries may only see hours of sunlight during the day. The winter solstice would have been a time of celebration as it would have marked the halfway point of winter and signaled the return of lighter days. In an agrarian society, the importance of this can’t possibly be over stressed.

In Pre-Christian Scandinavia, the sun was represented as a solar goddess-Sol or Sunna. She is the sister of the moon and drives the chariot of the sun across the sky every day. Pulled by Allsvinn (very fast) and Arvak (early rising), the chariot is pursued by the wolf Skoll. Who sometimes comes so close that he is able to take a bit out the sun, causing an eclipse. Sunna would have been hugely important during this time of the year and Yule celebrations most surely would have honored her. It is pretty generally accepted that the feast day of St Lucia and the winter solstice are closely related. It is not too much further of a stretch to see the correlation between Lucia and Sunna, as this is a common theme among catholic saints.
As a modern pagan with a strong Swedish background, I have fully accepted the connection between Lucia and Sunna. This was one of my favorite holidays as a child and one that my family always placed a big emphasis on it. It was no surprise to me, years later, when as a pagan I found out the connection between St Lucia and pagan traditions. It fills my heart with joy to think about the fact that my family is still carrying on this tradition and that my siblings and I will be passing it onto the next.

Yours truly as Lucia, probably around age seven. Note the stuffed cheeks and half eaten bun hidden under the tray


If you would like to honor Lucia/Sunna this December 13 here are some ways to do it:
-make Lucia Buns, serve them to friends, family, or even bring them to work!
– Sing this version of the traditional Lucia, ‘reheathenized’
-Meditate on the importance of light and the sun, take this time to focus on staying positive even during dark times.

Mary- a mother goddess?

This reminds me I need to get my hands on the Christmas accessories for my American Girl doll Kirsten (Swedish immigrant doll). I know I will be using this doll after the holidays to help with Roo's social studies and immigration is the first unit after the holidays.

 

[Grimm]

I found some O scale Shasta trailers I made a few years back (pre-Juju) in my box of trees for my putz houses. I figure since they are painted and almost 100% I can glitter them and mount them on a base. They have the access for the tea light in the back already so they are pretty much a done deal! I figure I'll paint a footprint path between the 2 trailers on the base since the lights I use make it look like a party inside.

 

[Weedygarden]

This reminds me I need to get my hands on the Christmas accessories for my American Girl doll Kirsten (Swedish immigrant doll). I know I will be using this doll after the holidays to help with Roo's social studies and immigration is the first unit after the holidays.

Daughter has Kirsten and some of her accessories, now in storage in my basement. I believe she has the Santa Lucia ones. Daughter did a report on Santa Lucia when she was in grade school.

 

[Grimm]

Daughter has Kirsten and some of her accessories, now in storage in my basement. I believe she has the Santa Lucia ones. Daughter did a report on Santa Lucia when she was in grade school.

I got Kirsten from a thrift store and spent a lot of time restoring her before Roo was born. I always wanted Samantha when I was a girl.

 

[Weedygarden]

I got Kirsten from a thrift store and spent a lot of time restoring her before Roo was born. I always wanted Samantha when I was a girl.

Nice to find Kirsten in a thrift store. I imagine hair and face may require the most work in restoration. The American Girl dolls can sure add up if you buy all the accessories.

 

[Grimm]

Nice to find Kirsten in a thrift store. I imagine hair and face may require the most work in restoration. The American Girl dolls can sure add up if you buy all the accessories.

I just cleaned her up and replaced the wig. New wigs are cheaper than trying to fix a bad one. Nail polish remover, lighter fluid and very fine sand paper (1000 grit) can fix most marks and surface damage.