Supposedly, there is a very old Christmas eve tradition in Germany was to hide a pickle [ornament] deep in the branches of the family Christmas Tree. The parents hung the pickle last after all the other ornaments were in place. In the morning, the child who first spots the ornament would receive an extra gift from Santa. The first adult who finds the pickle traditionally gets good luck for the whole year. Don’t let anyone tell you that the Christmas pickle is an old world custom from Germany.
This story is a complete lie – no one in Germany hides pickles in their trees – it was a marketing ploy by F. W. Woolworth to unload a large number of unsold pickle ornaments purchased in the 1880s. (I’m guessing you have no idea what Woolworth’s was.
The Haus of Dcaligari 