"The Legend of the Pickle Ornament"

According to German tradition the pickle brings
good luck and it was the last ornament to be
placed on the Christmas tree.

On Christmas morning, the first child to find
the gherkin was rewarded with an extra little
gift that had been left by St. Nicholas.

This tradition encouraged the children to
appreciate all of the ornaments on the tree,
rather than hurrying to see what St. Nick
had left for them.




"The Legend of the Robin"

The night that Christ was born a little brown
bird shared the stable with the Holy Family.

During the night, Joseph built a fire to
keep the family warm, but as they slept
the fire burned out.

From its nest the bird flew down and fanned
the embers with its wings.
The bird was very close to the fire and
the heat turned the bird's feathers red.

The breast of the Robin has been red
ever since to remind us of its love and
compassion for the baby Jesus.




"The Legend of the Christmas Stocking"

According to the legend, a father was unable
to provide his three daughters with a dowry.

Hearing of their misfortune and wishing to help,
St. Nicholas dropped three bags of gold coins
down the chimney.

The coins fell into each of the daughters'
stockings, which were hanging by the fire
to dry, providing a sufficient dowry.

Since then, stockings hung by the fireplace are
a traditional part of Christmas gift giving.




"Legend of the Christmas Spider"

According to the legend a poor woman was
unable to provide the traditional decorations
for the Christmas holiday.

A spider, who had narrowly escaped the poor
woman's dust mop, made his home in her tree
and began to spin beautiful webs.

On Christmas morning, the first light of sun
struck the cobwebs, turning them to silver.

When the woman awoke, she found the tree
covered with silver treasure - the spider
had indeed brought good fortune!




"Legend of the Rooster"



According to the legend, the rooster has
only crowed once at midnight. This was to
announce the birth of the Baby Jesus.

For this reason, Spanish and Latin American
countries call their midnight mass on Christmas
Eve the Mass of the Rooster, or Misa Del Gallo.





"The Christmas Tree"



The tradition of the first Christmas tree is
believed to have originated in medieval Germany.

On December 24th, the townspeople would decorate
a "Paradise Tree" which would be used in a
popular play relating to Adam and Eve.
The "Paradise Tree" was usually an evergreen,
which is a symbol of eternal life.

In 1605, German families began to decorate
their houses with evergreens for Christmas
celebrations.

Eventually, the custom was carried over
to America where it was immediately embraced
as a wonderful Christmas tradition.





You can find these ornaments and many more at
Bronners Christmas Wonderland
Frankenmuth, MI



"Happy Holidays"
2003

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