“MyChalia, look what I just got!” I’ve heard this so many times over the years. My mom was notorious for becoming obsessed with random Facebook craft videos or weird trinkets she found at the store. Each time she would share her new obsession with whoever would listen. So, when she burst into my room one December day about seven years ago, I wasn’t exactly shocked.
She pulled this small box from a Christmas Tree Shop bag. My family normally buys new Christmas decorations every year so I wasn’t too shocked to see a holiday store bag. Nevertheless, what my mom pulled out of the box wasn’t exactly what I was expecting.
It was a ceramic pickle ornament.
I was utterly confused. Why would she buy a pickle ornament, of all the ornaments she could get? What I didn’t know, is that this pickle would become a staple Christmas day tradition.
Every Christmas Eve, my parents would hide the pickle in our living room. The first person to find the pickle Christmas morning would get a special gift; normally just an envelope of scratch tickets. It isn’t the most extravagant prize but my sisters and I always fought to find the pickle first – even as adults.
The Christmas pickle became something I looked forward to every year. So, when the holiday season began creeping up this year, and I started to reminisce about all the special things that make Christmas what it is, the pickle stood out.
What I really love about this pickle tradition isn’t the fact that we get scratch tickets or whatever other prize, but how it shows how weird my family is. And I wouldn’t have it any other way.
There are a few random traditions that my family has. Like every year we watch Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer. It’s literally my favorite Christmas movie now. I’ve seen it so many times, that at this point I could probably recite the entire movie.
Credit: YouTube
Although, the holidays always bring out the crazy in my family, I can’t even imagine having it any other way. Searching for a random fake pickle on Christmas has become an important part of the holiday.
I don’t have many traditions with my family, and the ones we do have are honestly insane. But these weird quirks are what draw us together. I love my family because we are all crazy together.
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