The Legend of the Christmas Spider

~adapted from old German and Ukrainian Folk Tales~

Once upon a time, a gentle mother was busy cleaning the house for Christmas Eve, when the Christ Child was to come bringing gifts. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner in the ceiling to the farthest corner of the forgotten attic.

On Christmas Eve the tree was decorated, the children delighted, but the poor spiders were frantic. They could not see the tree. The oldest, wisest spider suggested that they peek through the crack in the door. Silently they crept out of their attic, and across the floor to the threshold. Suddenly, the door opened a bit, and the spiders crept into the room. The tree was so tall they couldn't see the ornaments on top. So they scurried up the trunk, out along each branch, filled with wonder at the glittering beauty. Everywhere they went they left a trail of dusty, grey webs. When they had inspected every bit of the Christmas tree, it was shrouded in spider webs.

The Christ Child smiled thinking of the happy spiders, but realized how heartbroken the mother would be over the dusty tree, so He reached out and touched the webs. They all turned to shimmering, sparkling silver and gold. The tree glistened in greater beauty than ever before.

And so it became a custom to have a special Christmas spider and tinsel among other decorations on the Christmas tree.