When J and I would go shopping for ornaments, there were several occasions over the years that we came across a pickle ornament. Wondering why this was so common, we figured we needed to have one just for funsies. Once we got home, I read the little card that came attached to it.
The insert read:
Long ago when parents decorated the Christmas tree, they hung the pickle ornament last, hiding it in the green boughs. When the children were allowed to view the tree, they began searching for the pickle ornament because the first to find it would receive an extra gift from St. Nicholas for being the most observant.
I loved it so we adopted the Christmas Pickle tradition last year. We told everyone about the pickle and hid it the night before Christmas. We don’t do stockings but we purchased one, filled it with gift cards to Starbucks, Dunkin Donuts, and Amazon, along with other stocking stuffers. On Christmas morning, the first one that found the pickle got to take the gifts inside of the stocking. The game ended up being a blast for us and it’s something I’ll keep doing for years to come.
Let me know if the Pickle game has already been a part of your family’s tradition and if it hasn’t, I highly recommend it whether you have a house full of adults or a house full of kids.