pre-advent chronicles: christmas pickle

this being erin & mine's first Advent season as a married couple we have talked and started up some traditions that we hope to become part of our lives and family. one of the traditions we started was setting up the Christmon tree the thanksgiving weekend. this is new for me, as a richardson family the tree got set up whenever my brother and i submitted to dragging the tree out of the attic (yes, we're a fake tree family). not sure if setting up the tree after thanksgiving is erin's family tradition, but it's something she wanted to traditionally do, so we did. but how to decorate?

this was one of my ideas for us and future family, that we decorate throughout the Advent season. we put on the lights and some ribbon plus some generic ornaments, but from there on out each day we gather around the tree, pick an ornament, and then hang an ornament on the tree. the idea behind the tradition is to help promote that feeling of wait & patience as we wander through the advent season waiting on the birth of Christ. some people do the calendar things (i am not to great with calendars) but this seemed to make it real and tangible for us as a new family.

with our new tradition comes some new jokes and stories. one of them has be circling around an ornament in a set that my dad gave us. it's a pickle. to this we've joked, who is going to hang the pickle? how is it going to look on the back of the tree? well, today i chose the christmas pickle and come to find out there is a tradition behind it. who knew? certainly not erin & myself.

Comments

[Sam Davidson]

Will you adopt me?

[Erin]

Glad to know that there is a legit tradition behind the pickle ornament- I was a bit confused! And, we need to give your Mom some props for the ornament set gift- I'm sure your Dad wasn't the one who looked long and hard for the set for us!

[Erin]

Sam, that would be kind of weird!

[rev mommy]

We do the pickle thing. The kids love it. I've gotten rid of most of the generic ornament, only hand made stuff and angels.

[David]

Gavin,
We did this in my family growing up, and sure enough my wife and I got a pickle for our first Christmas from my mother (who then brought her own when they came down to "do" Christmas with us).
Peace,
David

[stace]

how refreshing to see a husband so involved in putting up and decorating a christmas tree. kudoes to anyone with the patience to decorate item by item.. once i get started decorating, i don't stop til the tree is finished.