Christian Education

Pickles, Spiders, Candy Canes and Christmas

No, I haven't lost my marbles. While going through my Advent and Christmas files I came across several Christmas legends that I want to share with you. Maybe, just maybe, these stories will make you think twice when you see these items this Advent and Christmas season.

The Christmas Pickle

The pickle-shaped ornament in a Christmas tree just might bring you some luck. This holiday tradition is most likely from Germany. I understand that there are several variations of the story. The most common version is that the first child to find the pickle ornament on the tree Christmas morning is to be given the first present, the job of handing out the presents, as well as good luck in the new year.

Christmas Spider

This folk tale came most likely from Ukraine. There are two common versions of this story. One is about a widowed mother who was too poor to decorate a Christmas tree. Friendly spiders spun elaborate webs on the evergreen. The next morning, when the mother opened the curtains the sunlight hit the webs and turned them silver and gold.

A modern-day version of this story is about a mother who cleaned her house for Christmas and in the process the house spiders were swept away. The spiders saw the Christmas tree and wanted a closer look. They danced all over the tree leaving their webs behind. Depending on the origins of the story, baby Jesus, Santa Claus, or Father Christmas turned the webs into silver and gold tinsel so the mother who worked so hard to clean her house would not be upset.

Perhaps these stories are why people decorate their trees with tinsel and the idea that spiders are lucky. Ukrainians decorate their Christmas trees with spider-shaped ornaments.

Candy Canes

Legend states that in 1670 a choir director from Germany’s Cologne Cathedral gave sugar sticks to his young singers to keep them occupied during the Live Crèche ceremony. The sugar sticks were in the shape of a shepherd’s crook. Centuries later a candy maker from Indiana wanted to make a candy that would be a reminder of Jesus. He made Christmas Candy Canes out of pure white candy. The white represented the virgin birth. The hard candy represented the solid rock foundation of the church and the firm promises of God. He made the candy in the shape of a J which symbolized the name of Jesus and the Good Shepherd’s staff. The candy was stained with red stripes to represent the blood shed by Jesus on the cross.

Happy Advent and Merry Christmas to you all. Let me know if you plan on adding a pickle or spider ornament to your tree this year.

Blessings to you and your family,

Rosie Robinson