Archive for January, 2008
A Pickle of a Tradition - Christmas
A Pickle of a Tradition - Christmas
By: Emma Snow
As legend has it, in Germany parents decorate their Tannenbaums on Christmas Eve. The last ornament hung is die Weinachtsgurke?a delicate glass ornament in the shape of a pickle. This is a significant ornament, for the next morning the children will rush in to open their gifts from St. Nicholas. But the festivities can not begin until one of the children locates the elusive gherkin. The one who finds it gets to open the first gift, and may even receive an extra treat for his or her effort. So the story is told here in America. Glass Christmas Pickles are a popular ornament, and usually come with the curious legend tucked or printed on the box.
The oddest part about this legend is that it is virtually unknown in Germany. Nobody knows where it came from, or who started it. Well known is the fact that the decorating of Christmas Trees with lights, ornaments, and tinsel originated in Germany, but unless the Pickle Tradition was practiced in a remote region of the fatherland, it is likely that the legend was created at least in part by Americans, perhaps of German descent. There are several stories floating around about how the tradition may have started.
One rumor tells of a Bavarian-born Union soldier fighting in the Civil War named John Lower (or perhaps Hans Lauer) who was captured and sent to prison in Georgia. In poor health and starving, the prisoner begged for just one pickle before he died. A merciful guard took pity and found him a pickle. Miraculously, John lived, and after he returned home he began the tradition of the Christmas Pickle, promising good fortune to the one who found the special ornament on Christmas Day.
If this story seems a bit stretched, there is a second story being perpetuated in Berrien Springs, Michigan, where 24% of the population report German ancestry. Residents claim that hundreds of years ago two young Spanish boys, when traveling home from boarding school one Christmas Eve, sought refuge for the night at an inn. Here they encountered a cantankerous inn-keeper who trapped them in a pickle barrel. When St. Nicholas stopped at the inn that evening he sensed their distress and tapped the barrel with his staff, magically freeing them. Whether this story is true or not, Berrien Springs calls itself The Christmas Pickle Capital of the World.
The first ornaments used by Germans to decorate Christmas Trees were fruits, particularly apples, and nuts. These, along with the evergreen tree itself, represented the certainty that life would return in the spring. In the mid-eighteen hundreds, a few enterprising individuals living in the village of Lauscha (in the present-day state of Thuringen) began selling glass ornaments.
A Pickle of a Tradition - Christmas
A Pickle of a Tradition - ChristmasBy Emma Snow
As legend has it, in Germany parents decorate their Tannenbaums on Christmas Eve. The last orna...
Christmas Ornaments: A Family Tradition
Christmas Ornaments: A Family TraditionBy Stephanie Smith
Decorating the Christmas tree just wouldn t be the same without Christmas ornaments. ...
The Christmas Holiday Tradition of Writing a Letter to Santa!
The Christmas Holiday Tradition of Writing a Letter to Santa!By Gail Leino
The tradition of writing a letter to Santa probably just started as ...
Experience the Holiday Season with Personalized Christmas Socks
Experience the Holiday Season with Personalized Christmas SocksBy Dave Poon
According to a very old tradition, Saint Nicholas left his gold coi...
Real vs. Artificial Christmas Trees
Real vs. Artificial Christmas TreesBy Catherine Spelling
Putting up and decorating your Christmas tree is a holiday tradition which has been i...
Wherever the legend came from, the Christmas Pickle Tradition is here to stay. Several German glass ornament makers have capitalized on the story and offer a variety of gherkins, dills and cucumbers (some even donning cheery Santa caps!), perpetuating the myth even as their German neighbors vehemently deny having ever heard of it. Whatever the origin, the tradition is sure to bring a hearty dose of Christmas cheer. And isn?t that the point?
Article Source:
http://www.articlecity.com/articles/family/article_2619.shtml
Neighbors - Getting Along With Them Is The Best Strategy
Neighbors - Getting Along With Them Is The Best Strategy
By Connie Ragen Green
Are your neighbors driving you crazy? If you have neighbors, and more than 98% of people living in North America do, chances are likely that you will have some type of altercation with them during your lifetime.
I can remember moving into our house when I entered junior high school. I absolutely loved the idea of having new neighbors. We had lived in an apartment previously, and those people were so close they seemed like extended family living a few rooms down from us. It was so different in the house. I would walk around the neighborhood and tell people who I was. I would tell them my first and last name, who lived in my house with me, where we had lived before, and offered them my telephone number. It was a glorious time.
About a year later one of our neighbors got drunk and drove into his garage. I mean directly into the front of it before opening the garage door. That was when I learned how they could really be. There was gossip and we learned everything about this man and his family from the neighbors. I made a mental note to be very careful what I told them from then on. It left me with a very bad taste in my mouth.
On the other hand, neighbors can be very important in an emergency. When I was in the Northridge earthquake in Los Angeles in 1994, they were a source of friendship and compassion that helped us all. We pulled together during that time and have remained close since.
My suggestion is to get to know your neighbors at least superficially in the beginning and then see if there are certain ones that you have more in common with. If you have a disagreement with a neighbor try to work it out yourself before the situation escalates. They are here to stay so we might as well get along with them.
This is just one topic of many that can be put into an ebook. Find out how to get your ebook written now by visiting Connie Ragen Green at Steps to a Family-Nurturing Communication Strategy
Steps to a Family-Nurturing Communication StrategyBy Huldah Jones
Family "meetings or gatherings" on a regular basis begun early with your youn...
The Front Porch “Is this the answer?”
The Front Porch "Is this the answer?"By Diana Bays
Before World War II the front porch was the gathering place for friends and neighbors. They...
Parenting Strategy, One of the Worst Ever!
Parenting Strategy, One of the Worst Ever!By Jean Tracy
Some parents rush to serve every squeak and squawk from their kids. "I can t let my c...
Good Neighbors
Good NeighborsBy Ronald Jensen
When the doorbell rang, I looked through the peep hole. There was a little person from the neighborhood standin...
3 Fun Card Games to Enjoy With Your Family
3 Fun Card Games to Enjoy With Your FamilyBy: Dave Roth
Card games used to be very popular. Although they do not enjoy the same degree of popularity t...
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http://EzineArticles.com/?Neighbors—Getting-Along-With-Them-Is-The-Best-Strategy&id=897779