12/13/2007
I’ve gotten some very cool stories about people and their Christmas ornaments and traditions at svengoolie@wciu.com - please make sure you share YOURS with me, as well! Some of the stories have been a little puzzling, some hilarious, and some- well, just the kind of thing that makes you go “aww!”
George sends us the family tradition of the green pickle! I’ve read about this before, with some attributing it to Germany, although some valid German sources have told me that they’ve never heard of it. George says they put it on the Christmas tree every year- it is, indeed, an ornament that looks like a pickle. The idea is that Dad places the pickle in a “hidden” place on the tree, and on Christmas morning, the first person to locate said pickle gets to open the first present (or, gets an additional gift, depending on whose lore you follow.) Okay- if it’s a kosher dill, does it go on the menorah instead?
George also mentioned that, in deference to my mention of my favorite holiday movie- “A Christmas Story”- there is an ornament on sale that is the movie’s famed leg lamp, in the crate marked “Fra-gil-e” (“must be Italian!”)- and it even has a recording of some of the movie’s lines, that play when you “open” the crate! George, I think there is also an ornament depicting the famous scene where Ralphie’s pal Flick, on a triple-dog dare (the most powerful dare in the kid universe,) puts his tongue on the frozen flagpole! I’d love to have those for my tree (which ain’t one of “them balsams”- do you think that’s inside enough for “Christmas Story” fanatics?!)
Going from pickles to cabbage- Mary mentions that her family follows many of their ancestors’ eastern European (they are actually Transylvanian!)traditions-like a Christmas dinner of stuffed cabbage and ham. She brings up another of my favorites –“SCTV”- where they had Yosh and Stan Shmenge, stars of their own polka show “the Happy Wanderers,” play a tune about their holiday dinner “cabbage rolls and coffee- mm-mm- good!” But, we digress- Mary said she was stunned to find a glass ornament of a cabbage a few years back! She uses it as a “Transylvanian twist” on the pickle ornament thing- whoever spots the cabbage first on the tree gets an extra treat!
Wouldn’t that be a great holiday special- “Svengoolie Presents- a Transylvanian Christmas!?” Of coursed, for a Christmas toast, we’d never drink…wine! (That brings up an error in last week’s “House of Frankenstein”- Dracula- John Carradine- is sipping wine like crazy while at the burgomeister’s house!
Continuity!)
George sends us the family tradition of the green pickle! I’ve read about this before, with some attributing it to Germany, although some valid German sources have told me that they’ve never heard of it. George says they put it on the Christmas tree every year- it is, indeed, an ornament that looks like a pickle. The idea is that Dad places the pickle in a “hidden” place on the tree, and on Christmas morning, the first person to locate said pickle gets to open the first present (or, gets an additional gift, depending on whose lore you follow.) Okay- if it’s a kosher dill, does it go on the menorah instead?
George also mentioned that, in deference to my mention of my favorite holiday movie- “A Christmas Story”- there is an ornament on sale that is the movie’s famed leg lamp, in the crate marked “Fra-gil-e” (“must be Italian!”)- and it even has a recording of some of the movie’s lines, that play when you “open” the crate! George, I think there is also an ornament depicting the famous scene where Ralphie’s pal Flick, on a triple-dog dare (the most powerful dare in the kid universe,) puts his tongue on the frozen flagpole! I’d love to have those for my tree (which ain’t one of “them balsams”- do you think that’s inside enough for “Christmas Story” fanatics?!)
Going from pickles to cabbage- Mary mentions that her family follows many of their ancestors’ eastern European (they are actually Transylvanian!)traditions-like a Christmas dinner of stuffed cabbage and ham. She brings up another of my favorites –“SCTV”- where they had Yosh and Stan Shmenge, stars of their own polka show “the Happy Wanderers,” play a tune about their holiday dinner “cabbage rolls and coffee- mm-mm- good!” But, we digress- Mary said she was stunned to find a glass ornament of a cabbage a few years back! She uses it as a “Transylvanian twist” on the pickle ornament thing- whoever spots the cabbage first on the tree gets an extra treat!
Wouldn’t that be a great holiday special- “Svengoolie Presents- a Transylvanian Christmas!?” Of coursed, for a Christmas toast, we’d never drink…wine! (That brings up an error in last week’s “House of Frankenstein”- Dracula- John Carradine- is sipping wine like crazy while at the burgomeister’s house!
Continuity!)
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