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The uncertain origins of the Christmas Pickle ornament

When it comes to holiday traditions, the Christmas pickle can be kind of a big dill — depending who you ask. Some families forgo hiding the odd ornament, yet in other homes it’s the most sought after item in the whole house. But where did this custom come from? Most people believe that hiding a pickle ornament somewhere in the tree is an Old World tradition that came to the United States with German immigrants in the 1800s. It’s said that whoever finds the pickle in the tree on Christmas morning will have good fortune in the coming year. In some families, the finder even gets a special present or gets to be the first to open his presents. But as it turns out, most Germans have never heard of the Christmas pickle, and you’d be hard pressed to find a German’s tree adorned with this garish green, sparkly decoration. Other stories of origin make…

What the Christmas tree shortage means for your holiday

If picking out a fresh Christmas tree is part of your annual festivities, make sure you pad your pocket with a bit of extra cash this season. The U.S. is facing a holiday tree shortage this year, according to the National Christmas Tree Association (NCTA), which may run up prices for shoppers. The shortage can be blamed on the Great Recession the country faced, which began a decade ago. The economic downturn forced some farmers to limit their crops to save money during this time of decreased demand for discretionary items like trees. Christmas trees can take around 10 years to reach full size, so we’re only now seeing the impact the economic downturn had on the industry. “In those years, we were in a recession and tree sales were down, prices were down, and we weren’t planting as many trees,” Doug Hundley of the NCTA told News 12, Long…