The World of Glitterwitch: The Story of the Christmas Spider

I know Halloween is over and you all thought that you were done with spiders until next year. But I want to tell you the story of the Christmas Spider so that you will understand why you must have a spider hanging in your Christmas Tree.

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. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders were banished from their cosy corner on the ceiling and they ran 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. The oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could wait until everyone had gone 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. They 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 and all night long they danced in the branches, leaving them covered with spider webs. When Father Christmas arrived, he was worried! He loved the little spiders, 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, Father Christmas reached out and gently touched the spider’s webs. The spider’s 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 tree. It has also become a custom to include a spider amongst the decorations on the Christmas tree.