Monday, December 21, 2009

Feelin a Bit Wired Before the Holidays?



This is a strange Christmas post....I'm not sure where it's going...



Several years ago, I inherited a sizable collection of vintage Christmas ornaments from a family friend...
most of which were pink...
...and then there was this spider ornament...



I've never seen a spider Christmas ornament before...
...it seemed to want to make a home on my Swedish wire trivet...
...I decided to "google" a Christmas spider....
...it turns out that there is a German Ukraine folk legend called "The Legend of the Christmas Spider"...

Once upon a time, long ago, a gentle mother was busily cleaning the house for the most wonderful day of the year.... The day on which the Christ child came to bless the house. Not a speck of dust was left. Even the spiders had been banished from their cozy corner in the ceiling to avoid the housewife's busy cleaning. They finally fled to the farthest corner of the attic. T'was the Christmas eve at last! The tree was decorated and waiting for the children to see it. But the poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor be present for the Christ child's visit. But the oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could peep through the crack in the door to see him. Silently they crept out of their attic, down the stairs, and across the floor to wait in the crack in the threshold. Suddenly, the door opened a wee bit and quickly the spiders scurried into the room. They must see the tree closely, since their eyes weren't accustomed to the brightness of the room... so the crept all over the tree, up and down, over every branch and twig and saw every one of the pretty things. At last they satisfied themselves completely of the Christmas tree beauty. But alas!! Everywhere they went they had left their webs, and when the little Christ child came to bless the house he was dismayed. He loved the little spiders, for they were God's creatures too, but he knew the mother, who had trimmed the tree for the little children, wouldn't feel the same, so He touched the webs and they all turned to sparkling, shimmering, silver and gold! Ever since that time, we have hung tinsel on our christmas trees, and according to the legend, it has been a custom to include a spider among the decorations on the tree.

...and not only that but I found instructions on how to make a beaded spider ornament...
Who knew?



These pretty little blue ornaments came from Anthropologie...



...I have to find a new route to work so I don't drive past that darn store...



I really like the way the shiny blue ornaments look in this antique wire basket which I found at an estate sale many years ago...



I really like how the wire basket stands out against the stark white snow...
...contrast and texture...



I told you I wasn't sure where this post was going!

If you haven't signed up yet for my 300th post Give-Back you may do so here!
The 3 lucky winners will benefit from this obsession with Anthropologie...
You have until noon on December 26th to sign up. Good luck!

For those of you who have asked...it appears that the 2010 winter edition of Somerset Life is due out on January 1st... unless you have a subscription in which case you may have already received your copy!

Enjoy these last few days before the holidays!
Dan comes home from school tomorrow!
Then the fun begins!
:)

29 comments:

north pal said...

i have heard the spider legend before and always thought it to be a great story. the wire objects are super. i love them. Bestest,Denise

Linda @ A La Carte said...

Love the spider legend. I will have too look for the magazine in January!!

Marie said...

Isn't it a lovely story? I thought of it right away when I saw your first picture. Happy holidays!
Marie @ Lemondrop ViNtAge

FILIGREE MOON said...

Thank you for sharing your beautiful photos and the spider story! Have a merry Christmas! ~ Angela

WhisperWood Cottage said...

I hadn't heard of that before! Thanks for sharing the story!! Wish we had an Anthro near here!!

Amy

Lisa said...

Wonderful story! Thanks for sharing!
I cannot wait for the new mag! I'm glad it's only 2 more weeks!
Merry Christmas!
Hugs, Lisa

MaroDe said...

I love the wire project, it is very creative and beautiful!

Sarah said...

I've never heard this story. It is precious, and I so appreciate that you shared it with us. I once did a crazy quilt with a friend and she insisted that each of our quilts had to include a spider in a web. Spiders are supposed to bring good luck. I may just have to make a spider for our tree. Thanks for sharing this interesting post.
Best wishes for the holidays! ~ Sarah

aimee said...

what a neat CHRISTmas story to read before bed :) i love the blue ornaments!
blesssings,
aimee

Julie@beingRUBY said...

Blue Blue Blue .. beautiful Blue

Hi Laura.. sorry about that but you know how I feel about Blue. hehe
Well this Christmas Spider story is delightful [my new word!] I hope the spiders in my place pull their weight this Christmas... maybe I should read them this story on Christmas Eve!!

You must be thrilled Dan is coming home... all your babies for Christmas morning.. xxx Julie

Becca said...

Oh I just love those blue ornaments! I'm going to have to get over to Anthropologie again soon. I love the way you have them styled in the wire basket. Merry Christmas!

sylvia said...

thse ornaments are wonderful!! I wish you all te best in the new year and may all your dreams come true!! Take care, sylvia

Unknown said...

Hi Laura. I've never heard that before. What a sweet little story. I wish I'd heard that when my son was little so I could have shared that sweet story. BTW ~ I love the photo of the pink tulips on your side bar ~ they're so pretty! Okay, so really I love all your pics on the sidebar. LOL

Merry Christmas....Tracy :)

peet said...

So beautiful !

I whis you a merry christmas en a good 2010 !

Love from holland Greetings Peet

Theresa said...

Those blue ornaments are beautiful for sure! I love it how you made a lovely display with the wire basket. I have got to check out that store on-line. I don't think I have one here close to me but it looks like I would love to shop there. Have a blessed day!

Jacqueline @ HOME said...

Well Laura, that's a new story for me. ...such a lovely one as well.I love the way that you put the spider on the wire trivet.....you are so good at that.I think that you have got an item for any situation that presents itself.....and those gorgeous baubles. What a wonderful shade of blue.
We have now got an Anthropologie in London. It's a good job that it's not around the corner as I think that I would have spent the money for the turkey in there !!!! XXXX

Susan McShannon-Monteith said...

Love that teal blue colour, it is one of my obsessions.
It is puzzling sometimes where the ideas for ornaments come from... I have a beautiful red-topped hand-blown glass mushroom that I've always wondered the origins of.
Susan

Lululiz said...

Learn something new every day. I am German and I had never heard of this legend before. What a lovely story to explain our use of tinsel though.

Bonjade said...

Oh this spider........
Bbbbrrr.r......rr........
Nice christmas days

Sylvia said...

What a great story, Christmas is a special time for everyone even for the tiniest creatures. Merry Christmas...

Faded Plains said...

What a great story...one I had never heard of before...gotta go and throw some tinsel on our tree now.

Ange said...

You are right Laura - the blue stands out beautifully against the white and grey... The spider story is beautiful. Unfortunately - they giggle at me when I clean away their webs and gleefully spin more as soon as my back is turned. Can't say I've given up - but we've reached a truce of sorts. Maybe I should just spray the webs with glitter ;-)
Very Merry and Joyous tinselly Christmas to youuuu!

anythinggoeshere said...

Neat little spider! Merry Christmas to you and your family.

Carole said...

I had heard that spiders were a Christmas decoration tradition but didn't know the story.
I love the turquise glass balls and I think that wire basket is just like the one I bought up in the Adironacks when we came to see you. I love mine!
Hope your holding up ok! I'm pooped!
xo

Anne Lorys said...

That little spidey is amazing!
I simply MUST begin the hunt for one. I'll have me one of my very own by next Christmas, I am ONE determined woman! ;-)

Merry Christmas!
Anne

Anonymous said...

Oh yes, pleas count me in on this. I'd love to be the winner. Thank you!
SuZeQ ~ kosec@sbcglobal.net

Anonymous said...

The Spider is beautiful and what a LOVELY basket. You do find BEAUTIFUL "stuff"!!
There must be a story behind EVERY old ornament----no radio, phone, tv, just time with each other to spin away...
Thank you for the effort and time you spend making your blog. I look forward to peeking in most every day.
Wishing you and your family a blessed Christmas!
annie grosvenor

Anonymous said...

The spider is great and I love the legend!
Happy Holidays!

xo
Cat

Just a bed of roses said...

I cant believe you found a REAL VINTAGE CHRISTMAS SPIDER...I am so dang jealous, you let me know if you ever want to sell it. I sell handmade ones in the shop that are wonderful too. new ones.
the story of cobweb christmas is great to.
thanks for sharing, glad I saw it.