| As legend has it, in Germany parents
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| | in Berrien Springs, Michigan, where 24%
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| decorate their Tannenbaums on Christmas
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| | of the population report German ancestry.
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| Eve. The last ornament hung is die
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| | Residents claim that hundreds of years
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| Weinachtsgurke-a delicate glass ornament
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| | ago two young Spanish boys, when
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| in the shape of a pickle. This is a
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| | traveling home from boarding school one
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| significant ornament, for the next
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| | Christmas Eve, sought refuge for the
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| morning the children will rush in to open
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| | night at an inn. Here they encountered a
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| their gifts from St. Nicholas. But the
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| | cantankerous inn-keeper who trapped them
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| festivities can not begin until one of
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| | in a pickle barrel. When St. Nicholas
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| the children locates the elusive gherkin.
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| | stopped at the inn that evening he sensed
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| The one who finds it gets to open the
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| | their distress and tapped the barrel with
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| first gift, and may even receive an extra
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| | his staff, magically freeing them.
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| treat for his or her effort. So the story
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| | Whether this story is true or not,
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| is told here in America. Glass Christmas
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| | Berrien Springs calls itself The
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| Pickles are a popular ornament, and
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| | Christmas Pickle Capital of the World.The
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| usually come with the curious legend
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| | first ornaments used by Germans to
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| tucked or printed on the box.The oddest
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| | decorate Christmas Trees were fruits,
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| part about this legend is that it is
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| | particularly apples, and nuts. These,
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| virtually unknown in Germany. Nobody
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| | along with the evergreen tree itself,
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| knows where it came from, or who started
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| | represented the certainty that life would
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| it. Well known is the fact that the
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| | return in the spring. In the mid-eighteen
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| decorating of Christmas Trees with
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| | hundreds, a few enterprising individuals
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| lights, ornaments, and tinsel originated
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| | living in the village of Lauscha (in the
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| in Germany, but unless the Pickle
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| | present-day state of Thuringen) began
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| Tradition was practiced in a remote
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| | selling glass ornaments. Using fruit and
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| region of the fatherland, it is likely
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| | nut molds at first, they eventually
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| that the legend was created at least in
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| | branched out, adding thousands of molds
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| part by Americans, perhaps of German
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| | to their repertoire: angels, bells,
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| descent. There are several stories
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| | saints, hearts, stars, and so on. Still,
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| floating around about how the tradition
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| | there is no evidence of their having made
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| may have started.One rumor tells of a
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| | a pickle, or of the pickle tradition ever
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| Bavarian-born Union soldier fighting in
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| | being practiced in Lauscha or any other
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| the Civil War named John Lower (or
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| | German village.Wherever the legend came
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| perhaps Hans Lauer) who was captured and
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| | from, the Christmas Pickle Tradition is
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| sent to prison in Georgia. In poor health
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| | here to stay. Several German glass
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| and starving, the prisoner begged for
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| | ornament makers have capitalized on the
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| just one pickle before he died. A
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| | story and offer a variety of gherkins,
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| merciful guard took pity and found him a
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| | dills and cucumbers (some even donning
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| pickle. Miraculously, John lived, and
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| | cheery Santa caps!), perpetuating the
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| after he returned home he began the
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| | myth even as their German neighbors
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| tradition of the Christmas Pickle,
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| | vehemently deny having ever heard of it.
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| promising good fortune to the one who
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| | Whatever the origin, the tradition is
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| found the special ornament on Christmas
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| | sure to bring a hearty dose of Christmas
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| Day.If this story seems a bit stretched,
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| | cheer. And isn't that the point?
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| there is a second story being perpetuated
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