Thinking back about Christmas Past at my Great Grandparents when I was a kid. They were part of the German community that settled around Pilot Point, TX. One thing that I have always remembered is that if there was a chocolate cake, there was a plate of sour pickles alongside it and they would eat them along with the cake. The practice was always attributed as a favorite of a Grandfather who was born in Saxony.

Anybody know if that is a common German thing or just an odd family thing?

Being of German descent, I grew up around plenty of chocolate cake and homemade pickles. While they both normally appear at family gatherings, I've never seen anyone eat them together.

sometimes people regardless of where they are from like odd combinations.

My Dad always made sure there were pickles on the table when we ate homemade Chili.