There is a tradtion I'm told about that seems silly and a bit odd so I thought it would translate well into geocaching. Here is the "Tradition of the Christmas Pickle" as it appears on the package that contained this cache before it was hidden.
It's Christmas, a time of jingle bells, stockings, presents under the tree and family traditions. Celebrate the holidays with a time honored, German tradition and have fun with your family for years to come! Following an Old World custom, parents waited until Christmas Eve to hide a small pickle ornament on the Chrstmas tree, tucking it out of sight among the branches. On Christmas morning the first family member to spot the pickle was rewarded with a special blessing for the coming year and recieved the first present from under the tree.
I decided to look a little deeper into this and found that according to some sources this tradition actually started in the United States and is largely unknown in Europe. But still seemed like a perfect idea for a cache. I'm sure most of you are very familiar with the area of the cache as there are frequently large gatherings of geocachers nearby.
I was unable to find a suitable, far enough away from other caches, pine tree that this could be easily placed in so I found what should be a good spot right under a big pine tree. Please remember to replace it "tucked out of sight among the branches". Please be gentle as I do not have a direct replacement for the cache if it is damaged.
I cannot promise that finding this cache will bring you luck for the new year or even that you will get to open the first present on Christmas morning but I can promise that if you find the cache and sign the log you will get a smiley and this cache should be findable regardless of weather, as long as we don't get like 4 feet of snow...
Happy Holidays!!!