How The Golden Cobwebs Came To Be

Who could resist the awe of a Christmas tree?

Certainly not spiders.

They, just like any little people in the house, hoped for a glimpse…

It was just before Christmas. A beautiful Christmas Tree stood in a pretty room of a fine home.

On the tree were popcorn, silver nuts, gay candies and little candles. Its branches were full of toys.

The doors of the room were locked so that the children could not get in.

“We must not let them see the tree until Christmas morning,” said the house mother.

But there were many other little people in the house who hadn’t seen the tree.

You see, the spiders lived in the corners. Some had homes in the warm corners of the attic. Some made their webs in the dark corners of the cellar. And they wanted to see the Christmas Tree too.

But just before Christmas the house mother cleaned the house. She swept and scrubbed and dusted. Of course the spiders had to run. Dear, dear, how the spiders had to run!

Have you head the creepy crawly story of the Christmas Spiders? Read now! 

Some ran up the attic stairs and hid in the sunny attic. Some ran down the cellar stairs and hid in the dark cellar. So, you see, they could not see the Christmas Tree.

The spiders liked to see all there was to see. So of course they were very, very sad. At last they went to the Christmas Fairy and told her all about it. “Dear Christmas Fairy, help us to see the Christmas Tree!”

The Christmas Fairy said, “You shall see the tree. Just wait.”

The day before Christmas everyone was busy. No one was in the room with the Christmas Tree. So the Christmas Fairy said to the spiders, “Now you may go in. You may look as long as you like.”

So the spiders came creepy, crawly, down the attic stairs.

They came creepy, crawly, up the cellar stairs. They came creepy, crawly along the halls. They went creepy, crawly, into the pretty room.

The fat mother spiders and the old father spiders were there. All the little teeny tiny, curly baby spiders were there.

And then they looked! Round and round the tree they went, creepy, crawly. They looked and looked and looked. Oh, what a good time they had!

They looked at everything they could see from the floor. Then they ran up the tree to see some more. They ran all over the tree, creepy, crawly, creepy, crawly. They ran over every one of the pretty toys on the tree.

They stayed until they saw everything. Then they went away happy. They had seen the beautiful Christmas Tree, too.

And in the still, dark night the Christmas Fairy came.

“I must see if the beautiful tree is all ready for Christmas morning,” she said. “The children will be up very early to see it.” But when she looked at it—what do you think?”

It was covered with cobwebs!

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Golden Christmas Cobwebs Tinsel

In awe of the Christmas Tree, the spiders circled round the adorned evergreen boughs to take in all they could see. When the Christmas Fairy saw the cobwebs the next morn, she turned them to gold.

From this legend, our tinsel is inspired. Decorate the branches of your tree, then settle in and read the story (as published here).

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Every place the little spiders had been they left spider-webs. So the tree was covered from top to bottom with spider-webs.

What could the Fairy do?

“Now I see why the house mother cleaned up the spiders,” she said. “It will never do to have cobwebs on the Christmas Tree. No, indeed! What shall I do?”

So the Christmas Fairy thought and thought.

“Oh, now I have a plan!” she said.

She touched the spider-webs with her fairy wand and turned them all to gold. Was not that a beautiful trimming? They shone and shone all over the Christmas Tree.

And ever since that time the Christmas Tree is always trimmed with golden cobwebs.

– Old German Folktale

What is your favourite Christmas tree decoration?