Angelika It is Christmas Eve, the tree needs to be decorated, but this year, traditionally and as always at the last minute, my Christmas newsletter must go out! Somehow Christmas is all about the things that need to be done quickly at the last minute. That reminds me that as children we always prepared a homemade calendar for our grandparents for Christmas, with our drawings. And every year on Christmas Eve, there were still a few months blank in the calendars, and we quickly painted something between the nativity play and the arrival of our grandparents.

There would be a lot to write about world politics this year: war in Ukraine, climate crisis, still Corona. But others have already written their fingers to the bone about that. So I thought I'd tell you a little anecdote today that might make you smile. A few years ago, a colleague of mine asked me seriously just before Christmas if we would also hang a Christmas cucumber as decoration on our Christmas tree, because that would be a German tradition. I looked a bit surprised, because I had never heard of it in my life. Michael was also new to the idea of a Christmas cucumber.

I had seen cucumber ornaments in stores during the Christmas season, but I hadn't thought much of it since there are now all sorts of Christmas tree ornaments. I was curious though, so I did some research. There are various legends about the mysterious Christmas cucumber on the tree. There is a rumor that Woolworth pushed imported glass Christmas ornaments from Germany onto the American market around 1890, and offered all sorts of vegetables in Christmas bauble format, including a pickled cucumber. However, the story is probably made up.

In addition, an immigrant from Bavaria contributes to the pickle story. Soldier John C. Lower (originally Hans Lauer), who had fought in the American Civil War, was in a prison camp close to starvation and begged the guards on Christmas Eve to give him a pickle to eat. A guard took pity on him and gave him a pickle. The soldier was later convinced that he had only survived because of it and hung a Christmas pickle in his Christmas tree every year out of gratitude.

Be that as it may, there is for sure a Christmas tradition of hiding a cucumber ornament in the tree. Whoever discovers it first in the tree gets an extra present. Not a bad thing.

With this, we wish you all a merry Christmas, may you enjoy many beautiful old and new traditions!

Angelika and Michael