I have fond memories of my time in Germany, but it was not until returning stateside that I learned more of its traditions. When the girls were little, Chris and I would take them to a nearby German Village in Orange County. There, we would savor German fare and stroll the shops. One shopowner in particular always remembered the girls! Our tradition then was to purchase Brotchen, a wonderful roll- crusty on the outside, but soft on inside with Quark and Rosehip jam. Adding each of our favorite sweets, sausages and cheeses, we would feast upon the livingroom floor-a picnic that always perked our spirits after taking down Christmas each year.
It was this little village where I discovered the Legend of the Pickle. The beautifully decorated Christmas Shop sold Old World oraments and one year I chose the pickle. Legend shares that a gherkin hidden amongst the Christmas ornaments brought luck to the finder, as they received an extra gift. Now, truth be told, upon further investigation, few Germans actually know of this legend.
In addition, another legend tells, John Lower, a Bavarian emigrant, started the tradition. After falling ill while imprsioned in Andersonville, Ga, during the Civil War, he pleaded to have one pickle on his death bed. A guard took pity and found one, which seemed to grant a boost to the prisoner, who actually lived. Upon returning home, he instituted the tradition in remembrance of his good fortune. Thus, the person who found the pickle would be blessed with good fortune just as he had.
Berrien Springs, Michigan offers another theory. The self-proclaimed Christmas Pickle Capital of the World credits the legend to the Middle Ages. A cruel innkeeper trapped two Spanish boys in a pickle barrel on their way home from Boarding School for Christmas Holiday, but St. Nicholas rescued them by tapping the barrel with his staff.
Our girls enjoyed hiding, finding and refinding our pickle ornament. Albeit true or false, sweet or Kosher, the pickle legend reminds us that we need only seek to find the gift hidden in even the most dubious packaging, and the blessing disguised as most sour circumstance.