The funniest holiday tradition I can think of is the Christmas pickle ornament so if your family doesn’t have a Christmas pickle yet, make 2023 the holiday season that you get in on the fun. Or get really strange with the best weird Christmas ornaments.
This pickle has a traditional look and is handmade the same way as pickle ornaments were back when the custom became popular in the 1880s.
Their pickle ornaments have been the company’s best-selling ornament every year in a row since they opened in 1979.
Old World Christmas glass ornaments are blown by mouth into hand-carved molds, just like they were 100 years ago. Once cooled, they are hand-painted and carefully packaged.
This one has plenty of little bumps and true-to-life rendering for a realistic pickle shape. The deep green has a slight metallic finish.
If the idea of a pickle ornament that yodels loudly when someone goes near it cracks you up, then the universe has a gift for you.
This pickle from Accoutrements looks like a regular plastic pickle but it has a motion sensor, with a range of about three feet, that will trigger the pickle to play a recorded yodel. The yodel is loud and does not disappoint.
There is an on and off switch so you can stop the yodeling when you’re no longer enjoying the sudden bursts of yodels.
It’s a decent pet deterrent as well if your cat tends to try to climb your tree.
If you’re looking to have people searching for the pickle for a while, this is not for you because once they get even a little close the pickle is going to yell at them. But if you’re looking to surprise some folks or have an awesome White Elephant gift, a yodeling pickle is something they’re not expecting.
Here’s something no one is expecting: a Zombie Pickle Ornament. And why would they? When you try to imagine all the things that could be turned into a zombie, I would think “pickle” would be pretty much near the bottom and yet here we are.
This untraditional ornament is made in the very traditional, Old World ornament style out of blown glass and is then hand-painted by artists based in the US.
It features a horrifying open mouth with sharp-looking teeth, one good eye, one dead eye, and a cute Santa hat.
This set includes a pickle jar ornament so you can store your Christmas pickle on the tree right in its jar and then Christmas Eve, remove the pickle from the jar and hide it on the tree for Christmas morning.
It’s a clever addition that helps build anticipation of the pickle hunt because the kids can see the pickle sitting in the jar ornament. It’s also nice because you don’t have to worry about losing the pickle between now and Christmas morning because it’s already on the tree.
The pickle is around 2.5 inches long, a tiny little pickle, and it fits easily in the glass pickle jar with a real screw-off lid. If you have small children, you’ll want to make sure they handle the glass jar with care but the resin pickle is safer than blown glass ornaments.
For those looking to make finding their Christmas pickle more a challenge, check out this unexpected twist on the classic.
The ornament is three pickle chips instead of one pickle. It’s realistic down to the minute details of the cucumber seeds and the ridges you’d get from cutting the pickle with a mandolin. The skin is a darker green than the inside of the pickle and there’s an accent line of green glitter around the edges.
If your kids are looking for a Christmas pickle, they’re probably not expecting this shape but it is undeniably a pickle and it’s Christmas so you’re still playing by the rules.
Made by Old World Christmas, the ornament is mouth-blown glass and hand-painted.
If you like personalizing your ornaments so they are unique in the world, this pickle might be for you.
Your family pickle could have your family name right on the back of it. It’s a cute extra that makes the ornament special and perfect for passing down to your kids.
The flat pickle is made from durable polyresin and has a friendly face with a glittery Santa hat.
Combine this fun Christmas game and their love of Rick and Morty with this Pickle Rick ornament.
If they’re expecting to be looking for a regular pickle and find Pickle Rick, they’re sure to get a good laugh when they finally pick out this little pickle with his terrified Rick expression.
It’s an officially licensed Rick and Morty ornament so all the details are perfectly matched to the show’s Pickle Rick (before he becomes a bionic sewer rat pickle of course.)
This one skips the fragile glass for safer and more durable plastic and the fabric Santa hat gives a festive look. It’s bigger than some of the others at four inches long, but it seems like a life-sized pickle.
This soft plush and machine-washable pickle is perfect for families with young children who like to play with their ornaments.
The plushie won’t break like glass and won’t hurt anything if it gets thrown the way a heavier resin or even plastic pickle could.
I love the cute little embroidery eyes and tongue. It looks like a happy pickle and is very soft to the touch. It can double as a year-round toy if they really fall in love with it.
The adorable little pickle is handmade by artisans in Virginia so you’re supporting an American small business.
At 4.5 inches long and two inches wide, it’s one of the bigger pickles but being a plushie that makes sense.
This extra-small pickle is a flat ornament handmade in America from pewter so you know it will last.
Made from durable pewter, this ornament is advertised as unbreakable. While I’m hesitant to call anything ubreakable, it’s definitely going to hold up longer than glass ornaments or even plastic and resin.
It’s a flat ornament and has a green pickle image on both the front and the back. The coloring and bumps with realistic shadowing give it a 3D appearance without actually being round.
This is a nice choice if you want to challenge your family because it’s a perfect green to stay hidden in the tree and it’s very small making it harder to spot. The pickle is only 2.25 inches long and the flat profile makes it even easier to miss.
It’s handmade in Vermont and comes with a red ribbon for hanging.
The Santa hat on this one makes the pickle a little easier to find as well as gives it a cuter, more festive look.
It’s made by the German Inge-Glas and this specific pickle design is from thair 2015 collection Legend of the Pickle.
These ornaments are made in the traditional method of mouth-blowing molten glass into molds and then being hand-painted.
The pickle has bumps and a slightly lighter shade of green with a metallic shine. The Santa hat is covered in glitter with fuzzy fabric trim and pompom.
Here is a pickle that knows they are supposed to be hiding and look like they’re trying to keep their secret.
It’s a cute and unique take on the pickle and it’s even wearing a Christmas sweater.
The ornament is made of durable cast resin and hand-painted. It’s a brighter green than many of the other pickles which may make it slightly easier to find.
At 3.5 inches long and one inch wide, it’s a nice size for hiding.
For the household that can never have enough glitter, we have this ornament from Glass Symphony.
The pickle is made from blown glass, hand-painted, and then adorned with two different shades of green glitter. The two different colors help the pickle to blend in with your Christmas tree and the glitter gives it a glinting effect as your tree lights are reflected by the glitter.
It has a traditional pickle curve and is a little bumpy, though most of the pickle details are covered by the glitter. I don’t mind that though because glitter is as festive as it gets. It’s slightly smaller than the other pickles at 3.15 inches long.
This one is very to the point. It’s a pickle that says, “pickle.” It doesn’t get any more straightforward than that.
The ornament is made of painted wood that has been laser engraved. It’s a flat ornament making it harder to find and it’s far more durable than glass or even plastic ornaments.
It’s put out by Hat Shark, a small family-owned business in Minnesota so you can feel good about where your money is going.
The pickle is approximately two inches long but keep in mind that because it’s wood, there are bound to be slight differences or natural knots compared to what is in the photo.
From Christmas ornament giant Kurt Adler, this pickle has a cutesy face that looks like it could be straight out of a kid’s cartoon.
This one isn’t going to blend into the green of your tree but all the red and white coloring might actually make it fairly hard to find because the pickle will blend in with your other ornaments so if they’re looking for a plain pickle, it may take them a little longer to spot this one.
It’s made of the traditional mouth-blown glass and hand-painted with a metallic finish. The pickle is 3.5 inches long, 1.5 inches wide, and 1.5 inches deep.
Set your pickle finding game to expert level with this unexpected steel pickle ornament.
If the kids are used to looking for a green pickle this will really throw them for a loop.
Handmade in Connecticut, this ornament is tumbled, laser engraved steel and has a tiny little green pickle so no one can say there’s no green pickle. It comes with a ribbon loop for hanging, an explanation card, and a box for gifting. Being metal the ornament is durable and will last you many Christmases.
The ornament is about an inch in diameter so it’s not impossible to find but it will be a fun challenge.
Get in on the weirdest and most inexplicable holiday tradition: the Christmas pickle ornament. These are the 15 best pickle ornaments to hide in your tree.