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Pineapple Ornament Take a tart, juicy slice of the fruit that says "Hawaii."  The pineapple is an international symbol of hospitality and our Pineapple Ornament is the perfect hostess gift or way to remember your tropical getaway.  Always fresh, any time of the year! Ornament height: 4 1/2 inches. Return to the Food Ornaments Collection. Our Pineapple ornament is SOLD OUT! SKU: 14R2PIN014 Price: $28.00

More Information on this Ornament

The Back Story More: Known as both the treat of kings to the definitive symbol of friendship and hospitality, pineapples have been many things to many people since Christopher Columbus first introduced this New World delicacy to the aristocracy of European.  In a society where refined cane sugar was an uncommon commodity, imported at great expense from the orient and the middle-east, the pineapple became an item of curiosity and instant celebrity, and remained so for hundreds of years.  So much so that an official portrait of King Charles II of England portrays him in an act then symbolic of royal privilege -- receiving a pineapple as a gift. Across the Atlantic, in the American Colonies, the pineapple took on other symbolic meanings.  In a land of primitive towns and sparse settlements, where individual homes served as centers for the community, visiting was the primary means of entertainment.  The charm, style and warmth with which guests were received into the home, coupled with creative food display – the main entertainment during a formal home visit – was a means by which the woman of the house declared both her personality and her family's status. Within their family's means, hostesses sought to outshine each other in the creation of memorable, fantasy-like dining room scenes. In this atmosphere, the pineapple literally crowned the most important celebrations: often held on high on special pedestals as the apex of the table's magnificent display.  Its expense, rarity, reputation and arresting visual attractiveness made it the ultimate exotic fruit, and visitors treated with pineapple-topped food displays felt particularly honored by a hostess who obviously spared no expense to ensure her guests' dining delight. In this manner, the fruit which was the visual foundation of the feast naturally came to symbolize the high spirits of the social events themselves; the symbol of the pineapple came to express the sense of family affection, welcome, good cheer and human warmth intrinsic to such gracious home gatherings.A customer who purchased this pineapple ornament as a gift told us, "My neighbors are from Hawaii, and they tell stories about the pineapple cannery where their parents worked. This is to remind them of home."