If you’ve ever decorated an American Christmas tree, you may have heard of the odd tradition of hiding a glass pickle ornament among the branches. The child who finds it first on Christmas morning supposedly earns a reward or an extra present. It is one of the quirkiest holiday customs in the United States, yet its origins are surprisingly mysterious. For years it has been attributed to German immigrants, but when asked, most Germans had never heard of a “Christmas pickle.” So where did this strange little tradition come from?
One theory traces the pickle ornament back to German glass-blowing workshops in the nineteenth century. Craftsmen in the town of Lauscha produced beautifully detailed fruit and vegetable ornaments, including pickles, which later entered American markets. As these ornaments spread across the United States, clever shopkeepers may have invented the story of the hidden pickle to help sell them. The idea stuck, and soon families all across America adopted the unusual hunt as part of their holiday fun.
Another theory is darker and tied to the American Civil War. According to legend, a Union soldier held in a Confederate prison camp was given a single pickle on Christmas Eve by a guard. That pickle, the story says, gave him just enough strength to survive until he was rescued. Out of gratitude, the soldier supposedly introduced the Christmas pickle tradition once he returned home. Historians have never been able to confirm this tale, but it persists as one of the more dramatic explanations behind the ornament.
Regardless of where the ornament story began, pickles themselves were a very real part of winter survival in northern Europe. Families across Germany, Poland, and the Baltic regions fermented cucumbers, cabbage, and root vegetables each autumn to ensure they had food that would last through long, cold winters. Pickling was a vital preservation method, and jars filled with brine and spices lined cellars for months. In that sense, the Christmas pickle—whether glass or edible—does connect to genuine Old World traditions of winter preparedness.
Today, the Christmas pickle is less about survival and more about delight. It is a playful little mystery tucked into the holiday tree, a tradition that blends imagination, immigrant history, and a touch of folklore. Whether it began in a German workshop or a Civil War camp, it has become a charming part of the American Christmas story.
Do you hide the Christmas pickle in your tree each year?
Donnie Dodson is the creator behind Eats History, a passionate storyteller who explores the past not through textbooks or lectures, but through the food that shaped it. He makes it clear that he’s not a historian, and he’s not a professional chef.
But what he brings to the table is something more: an unmatched obsession with telling history and culture through a culinary lens. Through food, he tells the stories of empires, revolutions, forgotten rulers, and everyday people just like us in a way that feels tangible, entertaining, and unexpectedly emotional.
