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Food Related Ornaments

LaurieB

By LaurieB
in Food Traditions & Culture

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LaurieB

LaurieB

Posted
Posted

For those of you who have a Christmas tree as part of your Holidays, what, if any, food related ornaments do you have on it?

It never really dawned on me. We have 2 trees (a small one in the den and the big one in the living room). My husband usually takes care of the decorating of the big tree -- it's not about the ornaments as much as how many lights we have. This year there's 1600.

Anyway, I happened to have the time to help put the ornaments on, and noticed that I have a number of food-related ones:

A set of four with different paintings of vegetables

2 different clusters of grapes, with 2 additional mini clusters

A chef, standing on a pot, holding a whisk

My favorite -- a little black teapot, which my great-great grandmother brought with her on the boat from Germany. How this made it in one piece never ceases to astonish me.

How about you? Any? Any favs?

Laurie

PS, as a girl of German heritage, I am sad to say that I don't have a pickle. Every year I mean to get one, but don't even know why you're supposed to have a pickle ornament on your tree. Anybody know? Thanks.

L

Marlene

Marlene

Posted
Posted
For those of you who have a Christmas tree as part of your Holidays, what, if any, food related ornaments do you have on it?

It never really dawned on me.  We have 2 trees (a small one in the den and the big one in the living room).  My husband usually takes care of the decorating of the big tree -- it's not about the ornaments as much as how many lights we have.  This year there's 1600. 

Anyway, I happened to have the time to help put the ornaments on, and noticed that I have a number of food-related ones:

A set of four with different paintings of vegetables

2 different clusters of grapes, with 2 additional mini clusters

A chef, standing on a pot, holding a whisk

My favorite -- a little black teapot, which my great-great grandmother brought with her on the boat from Germany.  How this made it in one piece never ceases to astonish me.

How about you?  Any?  Any favs?

Laurie

PS, as a girl of German heritage, I am sad to say that I don't have a pickle.  Every year I mean to get one, but don't even know why you're supposed to have a pickle ornament on your tree.  Anybody know?  Thanks.

L

We have candy canes and real gingerbread men. I think that's it.

Marlene

Practice. Do it over. Get it right.

Mostly, I want people to be as happy eating my food as I am cooking it.

beccaboo

beccaboo

Posted
Posted

We have a little fruit basket (real basket, plaster fruit), some glass walnuts, tiny copper pans, a little white teapot, fake gingergread.... Probably some others, but I haven't put up the tree yet.

liamsaunt

liamsaunt

Posted
Posted (edited)

Our tree has lots of food ornaments, mostly fruits. Right now the tree features a pickle (of course!), a tomato, an orange, a bunch of grapes, two lemons, a green apple, a red apple, a lime, and an ear of corn. These are all glass ornaments we've picked up over the years. We also have ornaments made from food, such as stars and gingerbread men made from dried out applesauce and cinnamon and a truck made out of life savers, chewing gum, and peppermints glued together. we also have a bunch of walnuts that are painted to look like strawberries. There are probably more that I am forgetting, I will have to check the tree when I get home.

Edited by liamsaunt (log)
Toliver

Toliver

Posted
Posted

I haven't bought them (yet) but I thought these were waaaaaay cool:

Pastry Tools Ornaments

 

“Peter: Oh my god, Brian, there's a message in my Alphabits. It says, 'Oooooo.'

Brian: Peter, those are Cheerios.”

– From Fox TV’s “Family Guy”

 

Tim Oliver

Amuse Bouche

Amuse Bouche

Posted
Posted
I haven't bought them (yet) but I thought these were waaaaaay cool:

Pastry Tools Ornaments

Last year I had my first real tree -- not my family's tree, but mine. And to celebrate I bought a set of copper pots and pans, and they're some of my favorite ornaments. We also have beaded fruit -- 2 apples, a pear and a cluster of grapes, and glass vegetables, including a carrot, a bell pepper, and of course, a pickle.

http://www.Savour-Fare.com
=Mark

=Mark

Posted
Posted

I've got a pickle and a glass chile pepper. When I was a kid we had a plastic pork chop ornament, don't know where that came from...

=Mark

Give a man a fish, he eats for a Day.

Teach a man to fish, he eats for Life.

Teach a man to sell fish, he eats Steak

judiu

judiu

Posted
Posted
I've got a pickle and a glass chile pepper.  When I was a kid we had a plastic pork chop ornament, don't know where that came from...

The dog? :raz:

"Commit random acts of senseless kindness"

Maison Rustique

Maison Rustique

Posted
Posted

Long ago and far away, when very poor my ex and I had our first Christmas tree. We didn't have real decorations, so I made gingerbread men. They looked great until we discovered that all the ones near the bottom were disappearing thanks to the dog and a mouse! :laugh:

Deb

Liberty, MO

lovebenton0

lovebenton0

Posted
Posted (edited)
I've got a pickle and a glass chile pepper.  When I was a kid we had a plastic pork chop ornament, don't know where that came from...

The dog? :raz:

That answers that question! :laugh: We had one of those and a chili dog :blink: on the tree when my son was little. I never could figure out where they came from. :raz::laugh:

Someone gave us an atrocious plastic lifesaver/other candies house ornament, which is quite large for an ornament. I haven't had a big tree in years (we decorate my Norfolk pine now) so there's no way it can go on our tree. But it sits in the pot at the base of the tree because we see these people at Christmas and their daughter would miss it if it's not there. :rolleyes:

I also have a couple red glass chili peppers, a little wooden mouse holding a big pie, another wooden ornament of a moose holding a candy cane, and three or four little gingerbread men made of clay.

Oh! I do still have a couple of my friend's inspired okra ornaments! Her neighbors grew a lot of okra one year and many went unpicked, drying in the field. She took about a hundred of the dried okra pods and painted and/or glittered designs on them. Everyone she knew got okraments that year. :laugh:

Does anyone still do the popcorn/cranberry garlands? We used to make those when my son was little. Or how about the dried oranges with cloves?

edit to add: I almost forgot -- haven't done the tree yet -- I a bought a little string of paper mache (I think) red chili peppers for the tree last year.

Edited by lovebenton0 (log)

Judith Love

North of the 30th parallel

One woman very courteously approached me in a grocery store, saying, "Excuse me, but I must ask why you've brought your dog into the store." I told her that Grace is a service dog.... "Excuse me, but you told me that your dog is allowed in the store because she's a service dog. Is she Army or Navy?" Terry Thistlewaite

LaurieB

LaurieB

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

So can any erudite eGr tell me why, if you're German, you're supposed to have a pickle ornament?

Maybe a pickle ornament should be my gift to my at the Bring Your Own Present Party :smile:

Laurie

lamb

lamb

Posted
Posted
So can any erudite eGr tell me why, if you're German, you're supposed to have a pickle ornament? 

Maybe a pickle ornament should be my gift to my at the Bring Your Own Present Party  :smile:

Laurie

Here ya go, Laurie

Pickle Ornament Story

I don't think this would work in my house. I'm sorry, but my kids would tear the tree apart looking for the damn pickle. That may make them sound like monsters or something, but they're really not.

LaurieB

LaurieB

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Well, alrighty, then!

I have already bought my Bring Your Own Present -- a Pickle Ornament. :smile:

Maybe I'll play the game with the boys -- they're too big to tear the tree apart, but whoever finds it first will get a prize :laugh:

Thanks for the info!

Laurie

andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted (edited)

I don't have a tree because I don't spend Christmas at home. Sunday or perhaps Monday, I will be going to Yorba Linda in Orange county (Calif) to spend the holidays with my long time friends.

However, I do have quite a number of food-related ornaments. Several tiny teapots of various materials, including a sterling silver one that I have had for 40-some years. Tiny cups and saucers. Tiny flatware.

I have several little whisks, an egg beater, two skillets, a coffee grinder, a coke bottle with the little guy with the coke cap cap, from the 40s.

I have several tiny loaves of bread, a carrot, a red bell pepper, some chile peppers.

Several beaded fruits, pear, apple, peach, lemon, lime, pineapple, banana.

A hamburger on a plate with French fries, a hot dog on a bun with mustard. A drumstick.

A ham, a wishbone with crochet, a dozen eggs in a little wire crate. A hen sitting on a nest, a duck in a little pond. A mama pig with a bunch of attached babies.

A peanut in the shell with eyes, antlers and some holly leaves, pretending to be a reindeer.

Then there are a whole bunch of painted nuts. Gold, silver and bronze.

Also a bunch of celery, a head of garlic and an onion.

Oh yes. A little tiny Kentucky Fried Chicken bucket.

No pickle!

Edited by andiesenji (log)

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

memesuze

memesuze

Posted
Posted

Couldn't we make ornaments out of refrigerator magnets somehow? Rip off that magnet and then drill a little hole in the top for a wire or string? When I saw andiesenji's list, I thought of all those refrigerator magnets I've seen through the years.

KatieLoeb

KatieLoeb

Posted
Posted

I have seen these beautiful opalescent glass pickle ornaments before and never knew the story. How cool! Makes more sense now.

Katie M. Loeb
Booze Muse, Spiritual Advisor

Author: Shake, Stir, Pour:Fresh Homegrown Cocktails

Cheers!
Bartendrix,Intoxicologist, Beverage Consultant, Philadelphia, PA
Captain Liberty of the Good Varietals, Aphrodite of Alcohol

andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted

I forgot a couple. I pulled my box of ornaments out of the closet and right on top is a little silver punch bowl with what looks like eggnog. There is a little frying pan with 2 eggs and 2 slices of bacon and a little plate with a short stack of pancakes.

I have three little cakes, all with wedges cut from them showing the inside, one pink, one brown and one white with brown icing. I also found a little Skippy peanut butter jar.

These all seem to be made of that plastic clay that one bakes in the oven.

I also found a little toaster, a little mixer (looks like an old Sunbeam) and a little blender.

These all came from Williams-Sonoma about 20 years ago.

At one time I had a "fun" tree in the family room next to the kitchen in addition to the "formal" tree in the living room. It had a lot of household things on it, not just food related itmes.

There are brooms, mops, a vacuum cleaner, people ornaments such as a chef, a maid, a baker, a waiter.

I am glad you brought this topic up. I had completely forgotten about a lot of these ornaments collected over a 40-year span.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

LaurieB

LaurieB

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

OK, OK, I think Andie wins! :biggrin::raz:

Like I said, I bought a pickle for my gift to myself. I'll let ya know who guessed it was mine.

Laurie

andiesenji

andiesenji

Posted
Posted
OK, OK, I think Andie wins!  :biggrin:  :raz:

Like I said, I bought a pickle for my gift to myself.  I'll let ya know who guessed it was mine. 

Laurie

Not a contest, no winner..... :biggrin:

I spend the holidays with my friends and their decorations are incredible. Their main tree is enormous and has at least a thousand ornaments on it. The one in the den is for the grandchildren and has a lot of ornaments made by the kids and grandkids over the years.

Then there is the living tree in the cabana with all animal and wildlife-related ornaments.

The outside is also decorated extensively - Jim spends weeks on it - he has been retired for almost 20 years and has a lot of time on his hands.

However everyone on their street (actually a private road) decorates to the nth degree and they get a fair amount of sightseeing traffic.

I asked and Carol does have a couple of pickles. One is a "collectible" someone gave her several years ago. She said it came with a little booklet that mentioned a tradition she didn't recall what it was about.

"There are, it has been said, two types of people in the world. There are those who say: this glass is half full. And then there are those who say: this glass is half empty. The world belongs, however, to those who can look at the glass and say: What's up with this glass? Excuse me? Excuse me? This is my glass? I don't think so. My glass was full! And it was a bigger glass!" Terry Pratchett

 

CindyG111

CindyG111

Posted
Posted

We have fruit ornaments as well - an glass apple, pear and strawberry. I think we had grapes too, but I believe they were forced into retirement by one of our dogs.

My favorite however we bought when we moved to Texas four years ago. It's a rootin tootin hot pepper. If you pull the string with the star of Texas attached, he draws on you.

Here's a picture:

gallery_2702_484_1103489938.jpg

He's actually a little creepy - lol! :raz:

Cindy G

“Life expectancy would grow by leaps and bounds if green vegetables smelled as good as bacon.”

~ Doug Larson ~

Mabelline

Mabelline

Posted
Posted

Oh my gosh, that reminds me of my daughters' favorite ornaments, which I had to search all over for to get three of: Yosemite Sam: he drew on you, then growled Merry Whatever Partner. Bought them in Las Vegas at the NPRCA finals.

JAZ

JAZ

Posted
Posted

I have a set of 10 or 12 glass ornaments shaped like hard candies in "wrappers" with twisted ends. They're cool.

Sur La Table used to sell miniature copper ornaments -- saucepans, coffee pots, beer steins, colanders -- but we don't anymore. Wish I'd bought some.

Janet A. Zimmerman, aka "JAZ"
Manager
jzimmerman@eGullet.org
eG Ethics signatory
Author, The Healthy Pressure Cooker Cookbook,  Instant Pot Obsession, and The Ultimate Instant Pot Cookbook for Two

patti

patti

Posted
Posted

Some of my favorite ornaments are our hand blown glass fruits and vegetable ornaments. We've got purple grapes, a peach, a pear, a tomato, an eggplant, the lucky green pickle, a strawberry, a lemon, a carrot, a bell pepper, a chile pepper, a fruit basket, and others. I forgot how lovely they are until I unwrap them from their boxes each year.

Dear Food: I hate myself for loving you.

LaurieB

LaurieB

Posted
  • Topic Starter
Posted

Triumph!! NOBODY guessed the pickle ornament was mine!

I've decided that I will play the game with my kids on Christmas Day -- the only problem is what to give as the prize. Any suggestions? There will be my 2 boys (23 & 25), a girlfriend (25), neice & boyfriend (24 each) and nephew (20).

A new tradition. :biggrin:

Laurie

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