We all know the common stories around a holiday, or at least the ones told in our country of origin. But I love discovering little gems of stories from different cultures that illuminate a part of the holidays I had never previously considered.
An old Ukrainian tale tells of a poor widow with many children who tended a small pine cone until it had grown into a very large pine tree they could take into their home for Christmas. They had no money for ornaments or other decorations, so the children sat with their mother and simply admired the tree until it was time to sleep.
They kept up brave faces until bedtime, and that was when the spiders in the house heard the cries of the children who were sad they could not have a Christmas like other children, and the sobs of their mother, too poor to provide them with any decorative Christmas cheer.
The spiders knew this family had kind hearts and loving hands, for they always took care to sweep around the spider webs and not disturb the eight-legged creatures in their homes. So while the family slept, the spiders wove their webs across and around the beautiful pine tree, dancing and laughing with joy at the surprise the children would find in the morning.
And what a morning it was! When the widow and her family awoke at dawn to start their chores — for even on Christmas they had to continue their work — they thought that maybe the tree had gone bad. One child opened the window to let in the sunlight, and that’s when the morning’s bright rays caught each lovely strand of the spider webs until they glistened like gold and sparkled like silver.
The children and their mother stood overwhelmed with happiness, thanking the little spiders for such a gift. They understood that anything they could ever want was already right there in their home, and they were filled with gratitude.
Some say that this is the origin of tinsel, but it’s definitely why some Ukrainian households still hang spider ornaments on their Christmas trees for luck.
KEEP READING: Telling Our Family’s Expat Stories Through Our Trees
Photos: Pexels
