Christmas Pickle 'Tradition' Might Be Pure Marketing Fiction

In many families, the Christmas pickle tradition starts on Christmas Eve. Parents sneak a green pickle ornament into the tree, hidden among decorations shaped like fruits, nuts, and vegetables. On Christmas morning, children race to find it.

The winner—the "pickle finder"—gets an extra gift, or maybe the first present, or a year of good fortune.

The tradition is full of holiday season fun, especially for younger kids. Whether it’s a quirky game or a cherished memory, the hunt adds a twist to the usual pile of Christmas presents under the tree.

This so-called German tradition turns out to be mostly American. In fact, a 2016 survey found that 91 percent of Germans had never even heard of the Christmas pickle tradition. And yet, the legend persists.

Some point to 19th-century Germany, when glass ornaments—including pickle ornaments—were first made in Lauscha. These were shipped to the U.S., where Americans added their own lore.

One story involves a Bavarian soldier fighting in the American Civil War. Captured and starving, he asked for one last pickle. The guard gave it to him, and somehow that salty snack gave him the mental and physical strength to survive. The dramatic tale remains unverified.

Another origin story features two Spanish boys trapped in a pickle barrel by an evil innkeeper. Saint Nicholas (yes, that Saint Nick) found them and brought them back to life. The story is grim but explains the pickle as a symbol of life and good fortune.

Still, no hard evidence links this tale to the Christmas pickle tradition.

Glass ornaments shaped like fruits, vegetables, and yes, pickles, started gaining popularity in the late 1800s. They were imported from Germany and sold in the U.S. as luxury decorations.

Retailers may have invented the Christmas pickle story to sell unsold stock—especially oddball ornaments like pickles.

That makes the tradition not ancient, but clever. It’s also very American: a mix of marketing, storytelling, and a good dose of holiday cheer.

The town of Berrien Springs, Michigan, leaned into the legend and was dubbed the "Christmas Pickle Capital of the World" in the mid-1990s by a trade group representing the pickle industry.

From 1995 until the early 2000s, Berrien Springs hosted an annual Christmas Pickle Festival (complete with a pickle parade) and pickle ornaments were sold as souvenirs, attracting visitors from far and wide. Though the festival no longer runs, the town’s place in holiday history is secure.

This American tradition continues to thrive thanks to places like Berrien Springs and families looking to add fun to their Christmas Eve or Christmas morning routines.

The Christmas pickle ornament is small, funny, and easy to hide. It turns the tree into a game board and offers bragging rights to the winner.

Some families make it sentimental by saving a special gift for the first child to find the pickle. Some even rotate who hides it each year, passing down the tradition like a family heirloom.

The truth is, the origins don’t matter as much as the fun. Whether you heard about it from a friend, read it on a box of decorations, or invented it in a boarding school dorm, the Christmas pickle tradition is what you make of it. One little pickle on the tree can create memories that last for generations.

All new traditions start somewhere. Maybe yours begins with a pickle, a laugh, and a sparkle of glass under the pine needles.

We created this article in conjunction with AI technology, then made sure it was fact-checked and edited by a HowStuffWorks editor.