At last, it was Christmas Eve. The tree was decorated and waiting for the children to see it. The poor spiders were frantic, for they could not see the tree, nor the presents that waited for dawn. The oldest and wisest spider suggested that perhaps they could peep through the crack in the door to see this glorious sight. 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. The tree was breathtaking and certainly more than their eyes were accustomed to seeing. So, they crept all over the tree, up and down, over every branch and twig and saw every one of the pretty things. At last they were satisfied with the Christmas tree's beauty.
But alas! Everywhere they went they had left their webs. Now seeing what they had done, they became very afraid that they would be killed; so they prayed for mercy. Suddenly, an angel appeared and said, "I'll save you, but I will need some help. One of you must stay to save the rest." It was agreed who would stay, and then the angel touched the spider and turned it to ice, and the webs became shimmering silver and gold.
Since that time, we have hung tinsel on our Christmas trees to remind us of the sacrifice of one to save many. According to the legend, it has become a custom to include the spider among the decorations on the tree.
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