Christmas Spiders Galore

As you can see from the picture I have made a great many Christmas Spiders. These are for family gifts and for a fund-raiser for VBS. I also make the gift boxes they go in and have written a poem version of the legend that is printed inside each gift box. I am including the poem here. Please note that this is my own work and if you use it anywhere yourself just give credit where credit is due.

Legend of the Christmas Spider Poem

Mother cleaned and swept the house that wondrous Christmas Eve.
With broom and cloth she cleared the dust causing the spiders to flee.
Up in the attic they hid away as the family trimmed the Christmas tree.

Gold and silver there was none among those branches green.
This was just a humble home with simple baubles mean.
Paper and string and stick and cone were hung upon the Christmas tree.

But laughter and song were heard that night by the spiders in the eave.
They could hardly wait for the family to sleep so that they might creep
Back downstairs and feast their eyes on the beautiful Christmas tree.

At last the house was quiet, child and parent asleep.
The little spiders crept from the attic and gazed in awe deep
At the simple green pine from out the woods now a beautiful Christmas tree.

In joy and celebration they sped from branch to branch to see
Every toy and decoration placed on the tree that Eve.
The spiders nimbly climbed upon every branch of the Christmas tree.

When the Christ child came to visit the home that night He smiled to see
The tree so lovingly decorated and smiled again at the spiders wee
Whose webs now draped from crown to floor the beautiful Christmas tree.

He knew the mother had worked all day and would look so sadly
Upon tree and ornaments once so colorful now dimmed and hard to see.
He reached out His hand and in love and peace He touched the Christmas tree.

Every web and thread began to shimmer and then, wondrously,
They turned from gray to gold and silver, shining gloriously.
On every branch sparkling threads now graced the Christmas tree.

And that is why it is our custom to hang upon the tree
Tinsel and garland of silver and gold to glisten for all to see,
And oft times we hide a little spider upon our Christmas tree.

© 2007 Martha C. MacFadyen

Many of the beads used to make these spiders were "inherited" from my grandmother who was also a crafty person. I also find beads at yard sales and church rummage sales. I love recycling old things into new and giving them another incarnation.

I use a box pillow gift box pattern for the box and print Christmas trees on the outside and the poem on the inside with faint silvery spider webs in the background. The hardest part is cutting the box out and getting it to fold correctly.