Description

Take home a pickle ornament today and participate in a fun holiday tradition that comes from the German-American community! The tradition holds that each year, a pickle-shaped ornament is hidden somewhere on the Christmas tree, and whoever finds said ornament receives either some type of reward or good fortune for the coming year. Many German immigrants settled in the Wilmette area during the 19th century, so it is likely that pickle ornaments adorned many local Christmas trees in early Gross Point and Wilmette homes.

Wilmette was also on the road to becoming one of the pickle capitals of the nation for a time, as John G. Westerfield, Wilmette’s first Village President, operated a pickle factory at the corner of Lake Avenue and Sheridan Road for several years.