The German Christmas Pickle Tradition: Myth or Reality?

German Myths: Die Weihnachtsgurke-Legende
The glass Christmas pickle ornament is supposed to be a long tradition in Germany. But does this “old German tradition” really hold up to close scrutiny?

This glass Christmas pickle ornament was made in Germany, but is it really connected to an old German custom? PHOTO: Hyde Flippo

Here’s one version of the “pickle legend” from a website that sells ornaments: “A very old Christmas Eve tradition in Germany was to hide a pickle [ornament] deep in the branches of the family Christmas Tree. The parents hung the pickle last after all the other ornaments were in place. In the morning they knew the most observant child would receive an extra gift from St. Nicholas. The first adult who finds the pickle traditionally gets good luck for the whole year.”

The glass pickle Christmas tree ornament is an old German tradition, according to this US advertisement. PHOTO: Hyde Flippo

This Christmas pickle story, with a few minor variations, can be found all over the internet, in printed ads, and inside ornament packages. It says that Germans hang a pickle-shaped glass ornament on the Christmas tree hidden away so it’s difficult to find. The first child to find it on Christmas morning gets a special treat or an extra present.

Anyone familiar with German Christmas customs can quickly see the flaws in this version of the “legend.” First of all, the German St. Nick doesn’t show up on Christmas Eve. He arrives on the eve of December 6th. Nor do German children open their presents on Christmas morning. That happens on Christmas Eve (Heiligabend) in Germany. (See our German Christmas Guide for more about German Christmas customs.)

But the biggest problem with the German pickle (saure Gurke, Weihnachtsgurke) tradition is that no one in Germany seems to have ever heard of it. Over the years this question has repeatedly come up on the AATG (US German teachers) forum. Teachers of German in the US and in Europe have never been able to find a native German who has even heard of the pickle legend, much less carried out this Christmas custom. It may have been some German-American invention by someone who wanted to sell more glass ornaments for Christmas. Or could the Weihnachtsgurke be an obscure regional custom that few people are aware of?

A number of years ago, when she was the About.com “Germany for Visitors” Guide, Rita Mace Walston wrote an article about the Christmas pickle ornament tradition. Despite her German background, she also had never heard of it. She wrote: “I did some first-hand research, asking friends, acquaintances, and even a few Christmas market vendors if they knew of the custom. I consulted my family in Bavaria, my best friend in Swabia, and folks who hailed from the different regions of Germany. No one had a clue as to what I was talking about. One acquaintance wanted to know if I wasn’t trying to pull one over on her…”

Then Rita heard from someone who claimed to have an answer that might solve the mystery. A descendent of a soldier who fought in the American Civil War, John Lower (Hans Lauer perhaps?), born in Bavaria in 1842, wrote to tell about a family story that had to do with a Christmas pickle. According to family lore, “John Lower was captured and sent to prison in Andersonville, Georgia. …In poor health and starving, he begged a guard for just one pickle before he died. The guard took pity on him and found a pickle for John Lower. According to family legend, John said that the pickle – by the grace of God – gave him the mental and physical strength to live on. Once he was reunited with his family he began a tradition of hiding a pickle on the Christmas tree. The first person who found the pickle on Christmas morning would be blessed with a year of good fortune.”

Whether this Bavarian-American pickle story is true or not, and if it really gave rise to the Christmas pickle legend is open to question. One may doubt the story itself. If you thought you were dying, would your last wish be for a pickle? Plus, it’s a long way from a real pickle in Georgia to a glass pickle ornament in Germany! The Civil War ended in 1865, but glass Christmas tree ornaments did not become popular in the US until around 1880, when Mr. F.W. Woolworth began importing them from Germany. However, one thing is certain: the “German” Christmas pickle tradition is virtually unknown in Germany. But…

The Lauscha Connection
There may be, however, a somewhat tenuous German connection to the glass pickle ornament. As previously mentioned, glass Christmas ornaments were being produced in Germany. As early as 1597, the small town of Lauscha, now in the German state of Thuringia (Thüringen), was known for its glass-blowing (Glasbläserei). The small industry of glass-blowers produced drinking glasses and glass containers. In 1847 a few of the Lauscha craftsmen began producing glass ornaments (Glasschmuck) in the shape of fruits and nuts. These Glaskugeln were made in a unique hand-blown process combined with molds (formgeblasener Christbaumschmuck). Soon these unique Christmas ornaments were being exported to other parts of Europe, as well as England and the US. (See our Glass Christmas Ornaments article for more.)

A 2016 article in The New York Times mentions that Sascha Müller of Lauscha first learned about the Christmas pickle in the 1990s when he visited Frankenmuth, Michigan. He returned to Germany with the pickle myth outlined above, and his artisans began producing glass pickle ornaments to sell in the USA and Germany. The German glass factory now manufactures 50,000 green pickle ornaments a year, making it one of their top-selling items, behind only Santa and colored glass globe ornaments.

According to the same NYT article, Dieter Dressler, another glass artisan in Weimar, Germany, also produces pickle ornaments that are sold to Germans who find the American ornament tale amusing. His theory connects the glass ornament to the Spreewald region of eastern Germany (near Berlin). He posits that emigrants from that region, noted for its pickles, may have started the custom by using them as tree ornaments in the New World, being too poor to buy anything else. (Highly doubtful, but that’s his story.) The article also mentions that a recent poll of 2,057 Germans found that 91 percent had never heard of this holiday legend. I’m actually surprised the percentage isn’t higher. Almost none ever actually had such an ornament on their Tannenbaum.

In addition to Lauscha and Weimar, a web search in German and English turns up the fact that the pickle ornaments are indeed sold in parts of Germany, ranging from Höxter in North Rhine-Westphalia to the town of Kissing in Bavaria. All of the German articles on the topic debunk the legend (some even refer to the myth article you are reading right now, first written and published in 2003; for example, see Weihnachtsgurke – Wikipedia.de, footnote No. 8). My efforts to get confirmation of the actual pickle custom from someone in Höxter were fruitless until September 2009, when I received an email from a man whose wife was from Höxter. Of course she had never heard of the Christmas pickle custom.

The Weihnachtsgurke: A US Custom?
A new twist in recent years comes in the form of German claims that the glass Christmas pickle ornament is an American custom that’s been around “for over 110 years” (seit über 110 Jahren). In the photo below the German text reads: “The Christmas Pickle: In the USA at Christmas a pickle hangs in many a tree. With its green color the pickle [ornament] is not so easy to find. The first person to discover it receives an extra gift! Where the custom comes from is unfortunately unclear.”

From Germany: How the Weihnachtsgurke custom is an old Christmas custom in the USA.

Yes, it is all somewhat unclear, and it’s not really an old German or American custom. But that doesn’t mean you and your family can’t enjoy this “German” pickle ornament on your own Christmas tree, however the legend came about. If it helps people enjoy Christmas a bit more, what’s the harm? Just don’t believe that this practice began in Germany, where it now seems to have come full circle, bouncing like a boomerang between the Old and the New World.

Amazon.com | The German Way has partnered with Amazon to offer you the opportunity to buy your own German-made glass ornament Christmas pickle. Old World Christmas Ornaments: Glass Pickle Ornaments for your Christmas Tree

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