FROM THE JOURNAL - COCKTAILS & CURIOSITIES
The Twelfth Day of Christmas
Cocktail : Christmas Gibson
Recipe:
For my final tradition, I'm heading across the pond again to the USA to find out what all the fuss is about with the Christmas Pickle!
No, not the type you might find lurking in your Christmas Maccy's meal... this is the one that hangs proudly on the tree!
I have to admit, I’ll be interested to hear from my US friends whether any of you actually follow this tradition. The idea is simple: an ornamental pickle is hidden amongst the branches of the Christmas tree, and whoever finds it is rewarded with either an extra gift from Santa or a little extra luck for the year ahead.
Being green, it does a pretty good job of hiding amongst the branches, making the search part of the fun. Traditionally, it is one of the last decorations to be hung, often on Christmas Eve after everyone has gone to bed, and the whole family can join in the hunt on Christmas morning while admiring all the other beautiful decorations on the tree.
But where did this strange tradition come from?
Well... nobody really knows for certain!
One popular theory is that it began in the late 19th century when German-made glass ornaments were being imported into America. The story goes that retailers, possibly including Woolworths, helped popularise the idea as a way of selling unusual pickle-shaped decorations.
The only problem? There is very little evidence that it was ever an actual German tradition, and many people in Germany have never heard of it!
So perhaps it was simply a clever bit of marketing... or maybe a salesman looked at a box of pickle ornaments and thought, "I can work with this!"
Either way, I actually think it's a brilliant idea. I'm only sorry I didn't introduce this tradition when my boys were younger! Although they're old enough to drink now, perhaps I can start a new family tradition with a Christmas Morning Gibson instead... what do you think?