I recently ran across two strange, but interesting, folk stories pertaining to some Christmas traditions. One of them was about a spider and the other about a pickle! How peculiar is that? There are many variations as to how and why these traditions got started. So, I’ll try to offer a succinct summary of the both of them.
The Christmas spider is about either a spider or many spiders who spun their webs all around a family Christmas tree. In one case it was for a very poor family that could not afford decorations. In another case it was as the result of the spiders’ excited examination of the beautifully decorated Christmas tree. On Christmas morning the tree twinkled and glowed in the light of the morning sun reflected on the spider webs. One version even has Santa Claus touching the spider webs and turning them into sparkling silver and gold. And all of this is the reason we hang tinsel on the tree! Imagine that? Some folks will even hang a spider ornament or spider web on their tree! I’m not a fan of spiders, myself, and think of them more around Halloween than Christmas.
One very unique variation of this Christmas spider folklore has a spider traveling with the Holy Family to Egypt fleeing King Herod. They took refuge for the night in a cave, but it was quite cold. The spider spun a web at the entrance of the cave to attempt to close the opening and keep the warmth inside. No sooner had the web been spun and some of King Herod’s soldiers showed up tracking the flight of Joseph, Mary and Jesus. They were about to enter the cave when one of the soldiers said not to bother looking inside. If they were inside the web would have been torn open. So, the spider saved Jesus’ life.
The Christmas pickle is supposedly a German tradition, that too, has a variety of folk origins. One of them is about a prisoner of war in Germany who was starving to death. On Christmas Eve he begged the guard for a pickle to eat before he died. The guard took pity on him and gave one to him which gave him the strength to live on and survive. Another is about St. Nicholas who found two little boys who were murdered and stuffed in a pickle barrel. He pulled them out of the pickle barrel and miraculously brought them back to life! So, today many people hang a glass pickle ornament on their Christmas tree. Some hide it in the tree and the first child that can spot the Christmas pickle receives an extra Christmas present. Strangely enough, when many queries were made in Germany about this yule-tide pickle, a majority had never heard of such a thing!
Just imagine, now, hearing or reading about a virgin girl giving birth to a baby boy in a cattle stall and laying him in a manger. Then angels, shepherds, a special star and wise men (later) herald his birth and worship him as King and Messiah. To many it might sound as incredible as a spider and a pickle. One big difference though ~ there is only one version of this account that is recorded in the Bible and substantiated in secular history. Granted, there are many traditions and folklore that have grown up around this truth, even celebrating December 25th as Jesus’ birthday. There is no evidence to support this date for his birth. Children’s Christmas pageants may augment the factual account of Jesus’ birth with other details. But there is plenty of evidence to support that the Immanuel, Jesus, was born, lived and was crucified in the Bible and other third-party sources. And based on the truth of God’s Word that is supported by numerous historical annals, scholarly writings and archaeological evidence, we believe and confess that this Jesus who was born of a virgin in Bethlehem is the true Son of God! Spiders and pickles are fictional folk-lore. Jesus, the Christmas child, is historical fact and truth! A Blessed Advent and Christmas celebration of this truth be yours!
~ Pastor Dennis Krueger