For my 22nd birthday, my college roommate bought me an unexpected gift. It was a critter-keeper; clear with a green plastic lid, inside of which lived a small, pinkish-brown, fuzzy arachnid. I named my newly acquired Chilean Rose Hair Tarantula “Precious” which some people might think was intended to be ironic – but no. I truly loved her. We had a few snakes, lizards, frogs, and a few other random apartment-friendly pets – but never a bug – until that fateful day.
Since that day, I have rarely gone any significant length of time when I didn’t have at least one pet spider. Currently, I have a Mexican Red Knee Tarantula named “Maria” and a very old Rose Hair that spends most of the school year in my wife’s classroom named “Elvis”. Some of her coworkers aren’t all that thrilled about Elvis' presence, to be honest, but that doesn't bother us.
All that is to say, I like spiders. So, it might surprise some people to discover that the reason I have spiders on my Christmas tree is even deeper than that. There is actually an old Ukrainian legend about a Christmas spider that I’ve been drawn to since the first time I heard it.
According to ancient storytellers, there once was a widow living in her cramped, cold hut with her children. One day, a pinecone dropped from the tree outside and took root. The children, excited by the prospect of a tree for Christmas, tended the seedling and made plans about how they would decorate the tree. Poverty was a way of life for the small family, and when Christmas approached, the widow knew that they would not be able to decorate the tree. The children and the widow accepted their fate and went to bed on Christmas Eve, the tiny tree branches bare.
But the household’s spiders heard the children’s sobs and spun intricate webs on the tree. Early on Christmas morning, the children cried, “Mother, mother wake up and see the tree. It is beautiful!” The widow rose to find that during the cold night a spider had spun its web around the fragile branches. As the rays of the sun crept along the floor and silently climbed the tree, the glow touched the threads of the web turning each one into silver and gold, and, as the story goes, from that day forward the widow never wanted for anything.
(source: https://www.ukraine.com/blog/spiders-and-their-webs-are-not-showed-the-door-on-ukrainian-christmas/)
I suppose I’m lucky. I have never known poverty. I’ve never had to go without. I’m sure my parents went through seasons of financial struggle – but they would’ve never let it show, especially in front of us kids. So, understanding the mindset of the widow and her children in this story is not exactly easy for me. I can only imagine how they must’ve felt not being able to afford a Christmas tree or decorations, let alone gifts for each other. Let that sink in – and know that there are countless, very real people around the world, and even in our own backyards, in exactly that position. Try to put yourself in their shoes for just a minute and it will break your heart.
It's the most wonderful time of the year, so the song tells us, but to so many people it’s a struggle.
For me though, the story is not about a magical, supernatural event – it’s about finding the beauty and the magic in ordinary everyday moments. When the sunlight streams onto a spider web at just the right angle it really does sparkle like silver and gold. But if you’re not paying attention, you’ll miss it. There is magnificence all around us – right under our noses. It’s not just in the places and events that you would expect, like a pink and orange sunrise glowing through the tree branches, or an immaculate blanket of new-fallen snow sparkling in the sunlight. It’s even in the corner of the garage door; a tiny work of art - a feat of mechanical engineering -a tapestry woven by one of the most feared and hated of God’s creatures. But as the legend illustrates; even the mundane – in the right light, in the right place, at the right time – can lift your spirit. It can elicit hope and joy. It can shine light in the darkness as it did for the widow and her children.
This Christmas, as we enjoy the blessings of the season – as we sit around the tree that’s decorated just right and open all of the thoughtfully chosen gifts from our loved ones – as we spend time with our friends and family (even the ones that drive us crazy sometimes) – let’s take the time to really pay attention and look for those tiny, easily overlooked signs of God’s presence – and be thankful.