Pickle Present

My friend, Julie, introduced me to her family's tradition of a glass pickle ornament on the Christmas tree, and a pickle present underneath it. Her Christmas tree is covered completely with with Radko glass ornaments of all shapes and sizes including a cabbage, Dorothy's ruby slippers, a pumpkin, and, of course, a pickle...

I loved the tradition, but I couldn't picture our traditional tree with a big green glass pickle hanging on it. So, when I found a ceramic pickle ornament at a Christmas shop in Park City, I snapped it up, and our own pickle present tradition began.

Every year, I find a suitable non-gender-specific present and wrap it with a "pickle present" tag. [Last year it was a 2-gig computer thumb drive.] When Santa comes on Christmas Eve, he moves the pickle ornament to an unknown spot on the tree. Then, on Christmas morning, after the rest of the presents have been opened, the adult children try to be the first to find the pickle and win the present. For a few short moments they become kids again, full of the magic of Christmas, not to mention that they have started to help me take the Christmas ornaments off the tree...

P.S. The pickle present tradition is great for young children too.
P.P.S. Julie does the pickle present first, and she now has a ceramic pickle on her tree. She says it is more fun because it's harder to find.