On
Christmas
Eve, a long time
ago, a gentle mother was
busily cleaning the house for the
most
wonderful day
of the year... Christmas
day, the day on which the little Christ
child came to bless the house. Not a speck of
dust was left. Even the spiders had been banished from
their cozy corner on the ceiling. They had fled to the farthest corner
of the attic.
The Christmas tree
was beautifully decorated. The
poor spiders were frantic, for they could
not see the tree, nor be present for the little Christ
child’s visit. Then the oldest and wisest spider suggested
that perhaps they could wait until everyone went to bed and then get
a closer look. When the house was dark and silent, the spiders crept out of
their hiding place.
When they neared the Christmas
tree, they were delighted with the beauty of it.
The spiders crept all over the tree, up and down, over
the branches and twigs and saw every one of the pretty things.
The spiders loved the Christmas tree. All night long they danced in the
branches, leaving them covered with spider webs. In the morning, when the Christ
child came to bless the
house, he was dismayed! He loved
the spiders for they were God’s creatures, but
he knew the mother, who had worked so hard to make
everything perfect, would not be pleased when she saw what the
spiders had done. With love in his heart and a smile on his lips, the little Christ
child reached out and gently touched the spider webs. The spider webs started to
sparkle and shine!
They had all turned into
sparkling, shimmering silver and
gold. According to legend, ever since this
happened, people have hung tinsel on their Christmas
trees. It has also become a custom to include a spider among the
decorations
on the tree.