I have loved the discussion on here about the pickle ornament over these past weeks, spurred, I believe, by my query about its meaning. There's been so much about it, and it enabled me to give an in-depth explanation to our 40-year-old son when he stood infront of our antique-ornaments tree in the antique room (all family stuff, nothing purchased) at Christmas and asked about it, hidden there in the branches on the little antiques tree. Except ours is a REAL pickle, coming down through Carol's German family, and it's been hollowed out, dried, reinforced soehow, and it's been made into a whistle !! We treasure it. Dave Ross Denver