WEEK OF DECEMBER 19, 2024
VOLUME 129 | ISSUE 42
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Finding tradition in a pickle A popular holiday tradition involves hanging a pickle ornament on the Christmas tree for a family member to find.
Local historian speaks on origin of holiday ornament BY HALEY LENA HLENA@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
Passed on from one generation to another, meaningful and fun holiday traditions are part of every family’s celebrations. But sometimes, there are traditions that just can’t be fully explained. The Christmas pickle tradition has been part of many families across the country for generations. However, with numerous theories about its beginnings circulating the internet, the origins of the tradition remain unclear. Wherever the tradition sparked, one
thing is certain: hanging a pickle ornament on the family Christmas tree has a history of bringing people together during the holiday season. “It’s a way for us to find some community in fun ways,” said Dr. Kim Kilmek, a history professor at Metropolitan State University of Denver. “And finding it in a pickle — it just brings up a light heartedness to the season and to the darker time of the year.” Whether the pickle ornament is the first or last ornament placed on the Christmas tree, the tradition of the Christmas pickle involves having children find the ornament on Christmas morning. Once found, how people celebrate the pickle differs from family to family. Often, the one who finds the pickle gets to open the first gift on Christmas. Another is that the person who finds the
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pickle receives an extra gift or is said to have good luck for the upcoming year. While the reason behind why the pickle is searched for varies, some say it’s a way to encourage children to appreciate the ornaments hung on the tree rather than rushing to see what St. Nicholas had brought them. Where did it come from?
It’s commonly believed that the Christmas pickle is a German tradition. But because it is a mystery as to where it actually originated, some historians are led to believe that it is a German-American or possibly an Eastern European-American tradition. Klimek has been teaching history courses in Denver for nearly 20 years —
Douglas County Schools OKs AP African American studies course BY MCKENNA HARFORD MHARFORD@COLORADOCOMMUNITYMEDIA.COM
In a unanimous decision, the Douglas County school board approved an Advanced Placement African American studies course, amid concerns that the content is divisive. After hearing from numerous advocates for the course, the board had a quick and largely agreeable discussion on approval. In November, the board postponed approving the AP class because board members said they didn’t feel informed enough and community members raised questions about the curriculum. School board President Christy Williams initially asked to postpone the vote to learn more about the class, to see if it aligns with the district’s equity policy and avoids critical race theory. Critical race theory is an approach to studying racism in the United States and how it intersects with institutions, according to Associated Press reporting. On Dec. 10, Williams said her concerns were addressed after she learned more about the course, including that it has seen revisions since it was first introduced. “It gave me the opportunity to dig into the curriculum,” Williams said. “It helped me understand and learn.” The course “examines the diversity of African-American experiences through direct encounters with rich and varied sources,” drawing on literature, the arts, humanities, political science, geography, and science, according to the College Board, which administers AP classes for high schools across the nation. Topics in the course extend from early African kingdoms to the contemporary moment. Though the AP African American studies class was only recently introduced, it’s already received a lot of SEE STUDIES, P16
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