Is hanging this tree ornament a German, American or German-American tradition?
By Don Heinrich Tolzmann
Every year around Christmas time, there are Internet notes, articles, and comments about the Weihnachtsgurke (Christmas Pickle). Various stories have been told regarding its possible origins. The litmus test, however, is historical documentation rather than hearsay. There are three stories that are most often told.
One story is that it was a marketing ploy developed by the American “dime store” entrepreneur F.W. Woolworth (1852-1919). John K. Winkler’s biography: Five and Ten: The Fabulous Life of F.W. Woolworth (1948) was based in large part on Woolworth’s autobiography. Winkler writes that in 1880 Woolworth began acquiring Christmas tree ornaments from an importing firm in Philadelphia (Meyer and Schoenaman). They sold exceptionally well, and were gone in two days, so the next year Woolworth placed a large order. He also ordered Christmas tree ornaments from a factory in Philadelphia run by Bernard Wilmsen.
To read more subscribe now! Click here!