I don't like spiders
but I've come across that story as a Ukrainian folk tale and it's a nice one at this time of year 
- thanks, Sugar.
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| The Christmas Spider http://www.the-cbb.co.uk/viewtopic.php?f=11&t=8903 |
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| Author: | Sugar [ Wed Dec 22, 2010 11:21 pm ] |
| Post subject: | The Christmas Spider |
A standalone that might make slightly more sense if you have read The Christmas Bell Thanks abbeybufo for the linking lesson. It was the night before Christmas and all through the house there was merry laughter and noise. “How do you hear yourself think?” Monty asked of his school friend and host, feeling slightly overwhelmed by all the noise and bustle. “I’m getting a headache.” “Oh heck, don’t let Mama hear you, she’ll send you off to bed in a jiffy and then I’ll be stuck with the kids!” “So it wasn’t just the goodness of your heart that invited me to stay, it was selfish desire?” Monty laughed. “Honestly, mate you haven’t a clue! I’m surprised you aren’t pulling straw out of my hair the first week of term.” Charles grinned “Are you having a good time though? I know it can be like a mad house here but it’s family.” “Yes, loving it!” “Good! Glad to hear it!” Steve appeared at the bottom of the stairs and looked up at the boys on the landing. “C’mon, time to decorate the tree and while I think of it Monty, you better call me Steve, every time you call me Maynard, you might get 12 responses, you weren’t expecting!” he added as the boys came down stairs, Monty in the traditional manor and Charles by the less conventional but more fun way of sliding down the banister until he hit the newel post when he let out a subdued groan. “Right you are Steve,” Monty tried it out for size. “Can I stick with Monty, mum calls me dear and Isobel calls me ‘you’, little brat has a right attitude these days, and Dad doesn’t call me anything much, we hardly talk “he said a shadow of sadness passing briefly over his face “but I’m not keen on my name” “Why, what is it?” Felicity stuck her head out of the door to the Salon “Papa says if you boys are coming, could you get a move on. We want to get started and we need everyone here!” “Yes what is it?” Steve was curious “It begins with A” Charles supplied. “Yes A for awful” the Maynard’s laughed “or A for Amnesia. Hadn’t we best go in?” he inclined his head towards the Salon “I’d hate to get in trouble with your Mother!” As the boys entered the Salon there was a fierce debate going between Felix and Geoff as to whether it should be an angel or a star at the top of the tree, with Geoff complaining it was always the angel and it should be the star at the top, as it was the star over the stable, that showed the everyone the way, not the angel and Felix saying it had always been the angel, and that's what it was going to stay as. Whilst Steven was trying to ignore them and drown them out by humming “ding dong merrily on high” as it played on the gramophone in the corner. “Monty, will you decide?” said Cecil, smiling shyly at him.” You are our guest, you can decide” Monty looked at Charles and Charles made a flapping sign with his hand very discreetly. “Angel, I think, if that's what you always have. I like family traditions.” “Angel it is then,” said Jack and carefully put it on top of the tree. “What we are doing about the Christmas bells” he looked to Joey for guidance. “On top of the mantelpiece, I think, but for heaven's sake be careful with the stripey one. Remember it is cracked” said Joey. “Oooh, someone dropped it, did they?” asked Monty. “It’s a long story”replied Joey “concerning my younger sister, and Mademoiselle. The Christmas Bell came from the first ever carol service where we gave toys and raise money for the children at Briesau. Get Chas, to tell you what happened later.” Mademoiselle had one and my sister had the other, but I persuaded her to let me have it when the triplets were born.” “They are very nice” Monty replied dutifully. “We also have a bauble that is very special too. My greatest friends all have one too. Are you going to put it on the tree, Steve?” She said showing a pale blue bauble with white detailing to Monty. “Wanda made them didn't she?” said Charles. “Tante Wanda, did yes!” Joey grinned at her son and he looked awkward at the slip up he had made in front of the younger children. Behind Charles, Joey suddenly spied Cecil, who had tied some tinsel into a ring and was jamming it on to her head. “Mama, it won't stay on!” She said in a frustrated voice. “I want to look like an angel, but it won't stay on, can you make it? “No chance” Joey laughed, “last time I was anywhere near a halo, I glued it onto Auntie Robin's head, she’s my sister who is a nun” she added by way of explanation and elaborated explaining that Robin had been an angel in a sheets and pillow case competition, when Monty looked confused. Unfortunately the explanation didn't particularly help as he had no idea to sheets and pillow case competition was. “Mama, where does tinsel come from?” Cecil suddenly noticed a gap in our knowledge. “I know about the Christmas tree and Queen Victoria's husband but I don't know about tinsel…” “Mum, can you help me!” Margot suddenly yelled from the hall way “Quickly!” and Joey got up to investigate, closely followed by Jack and Stephen who went to see if they could help, and the second twins, who went to see what all the commotion was. Charles sat down on the settee and looked at Cecil. “Sooo Cecily, my dear sister, you do not know where tinsel comes from?” he said in a deep silly voice “we are going to have to fix that aren't we?”Cecil nodded “and my name is Cecilia, not Cecily” “So it is, I was getting you muddled with a character out of one of Mama’s books again, silly me” he grinned at her and Monty. “I know where tinsel comes from” said Monty “Tell me? You big boys know everything” “All right, tinsel comes from the tinsel shop” he laughed. “Oh, I Know THAT! I just don't know why we put it on the TREE!” She spoke slowly, as if speaking, not to her brother's friend, but to someone who didn't understand the English language. “Ahh, I see. Perhaps Chas and I can help you” and he perched on the arm of the settee as Cecil sat on Charles's knee. “It all started with a spider.” “A spider? Uggh” “Yes a spider,” “Black thing with the long gangly legs, eight of them” Monty supplied helpfully. “Can't stand them myself! Horrible things scuttling on the floor too fast for a chap to catch.” “Monty, do you want to hear the story or not” Monty pulled a face at Cecil and she giggled as Charles continued. “Right, where was I, oh yes at the beginning” he moved Cecil to a more comfortable position on his lap and started again. “ Once upon a time, a long time ago, a mother was busy cleaning her house for the most wonderful day of the year. Tomorrow, the Christ child was coming to bless the house on his birthday and she was tidying and dusting as if her life depended on it, a bit like Anna," he added as Phil clambered up beside him, for once ignoring her twin who was playing happily with unhung decorations on the floor. “Anyhow, the spiders had been chased away from their close corner on the ceiling. The tree was ready, which is more than ours is” and this time Phil laughed. “ The spiders were upset, they couldn't see the tree and wouldn't see the Christ child. The oldest and wisest decided that they would hide in the tree, so quickly they scurried across the floor towards the Christmas tree. They are all over the tree up and down over every branch and twig and saw all the pretty baubles. They were pleased, the Christmas tree was beautiful. But everywhere they had been they had left their silvery webs” “Oh no, the Anna will be cross” “You mean the mother” Monty asked “No, the Anna who did the dusting. Mama’s don’t clean the house.”Monty must have looked puzzled having he thought, just extrapolated that the Maynards’ mother didn’t do the cleaning and as well as the jolly Germanic cook, they must have had a cleaner or two, at least as the place was massive. “My mother doesn’t do anything in the house” Charles explained “Anna..” “Mama baths the babies” Cecil interrupted “but she’s too busy writing her books” at which Monty looked even more confused as he knew from his mother that Josephine M Bettany was seen as out of date and had not had books accepted for publication for a few years. “Yes well, let’s get this yarn finished before Mama comes back to finish the tree” Charles steered the discussion away from his mothers domestic prowess or lack thereof. "The spiders had left their wispy trails behind them on the tree and when the Christ child came to bless the house, he was dismayed but he knew that the spiders were God's creatures too but he knew that children and their mother would not feel the same and would be upset. So he touched the webs and they all turned to sparkling shimmering silver and gold." “Pwetty” said Phil as Cecil tickled her gently with the tinsel ring she had removed from her hair. “And from that day to this, people have hung tinsel on their tree at Christmas to decorate them and in some countries people hide spiders in their tree as well.” “So this pretty stuff is because of a nasty spider?” Cecil sounded amazed, “Nice” “BallBall” Phil said and went and took one from the pile Geoff was creating happily on the floor. “What? You want to know why we hang baubles now?” Charles sighed. “Do you know?” “No, and if I did, I won’t tell you now, I’ve told you one story and I’m wondering what’s happened to Margot, because the rabble haven’t come back yet.” Charles “Yes, about baubles and pine cones and lights” said Monty. Just as Charles finished speaking the door opened and Margot came in followed by her worried looking parents, who had every reason to look worried, as their youngest triplet had fallen off a stepladder trying to fix mistletoe to the ceiling, which for some reason Adrienne was keen to have in the hallway. “What have you lot been up to?” Jo asked “Well done girls, the tree looks great” she smiled at Len and Con who had finished decorating the tree, except for some baubles which had been commandeered by Geoff. “It’s a bit sparse as far as baubles go but we can add those when the kids go to bed” Con said. “ Good idea” Jack nodded “what about you boys and my little girls?” “Papa, Charlie told me about the spider and the tinsel.” Cecil smiled up at her brother “Pwetty” Phil lifted her arms up to be lifted and Jack scooped her up. “Yes, it is, I’ve never heard about a spider though” “Oooh I love that story, Emmie Linders told me about it at school. It’s German and Russian folk tale.” Jo enthused, much to the surprise of Monty, who wasn’t used to such an exuberant mother. “Monty was going to tell me the story about why we have there are baubles and lights” Cecil smiled up at her mother, looking much like the Robin did at that age and tugging at Jo’s heart strings, for she missed her sister ,who was celebrating Christmas in Canada with her community. “That’s lovely of him” Steve looked at his small sisters who were both struggling to stay awake. “But tomorrow maybe, because as Mr Kipling would say, that’s another story." |
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| Author: | Alison H [ Thu Dec 23, 2010 6:55 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
I don't like spiders but I've come across that story as a Ukrainian folk tale and it's a nice one at this time of year - thanks, Sugar.
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| Author: | Sugar [ Thu Dec 23, 2010 8:52 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
yes, it is Ukranian but given that Ukraine didn't exist in the 50's I was being historically politically correct, for once! |
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| Author: | thefrau46 [ Thu Dec 23, 2010 12:58 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
I heard the spiders' tale in my Spanish class! Obviously an internationally-known story. By the way I couldn't get either of the links to the other part to work which is a pity as I really enjoyed this drabble. Thank you very much, Sugar.
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| Author: | abbeybufo [ Thu Dec 23, 2010 3:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
I'm not sure if Sugar is anywhere she can access the internet at the mo, but I can see what is wrong with her link, and looking back at the 'instructions' I gave her, I can see that it's my fault, so here is a working link to The Christmas Bell |
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| Author: | emma t [ Thu Dec 23, 2010 5:28 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
Love this, thankyou Sugar 
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| Author: | whitequeen [ Thu Dec 23, 2010 8:04 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
Lovely! I didn't know that about the spider And I really love the bit about "mamas don't clean houses"!
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| Author: | Lesley [ Thu Dec 23, 2010 9:27 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
Lovely re-telling - and also loved the comment about the Anna and Monty's thoughts that there must be a number of staff. Thanks Sugar |
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| Author: | mell [ Fri Dec 24, 2010 10:49 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
I haven't heard about the spider and tinsel before, thank you |
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| Author: | ChubbyMonkey [ Fri Dec 24, 2010 12:17 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
Another one who hadn't heard the story before, so thankyou for sharing! |
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| Author: | Elbee [ Fri Dec 24, 2010 1:53 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
That's a new story to me too. Thanks Sugar. |
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| Author: | roversgirl [ Sat Jan 01, 2011 2:17 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
I'd never heard of this story but it was really sweet. nice to see the childrens' perception re. Joey and her lack of work! Thanks!
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| Author: | robinette [ Sun Jan 02, 2011 11:39 pm ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
I'm another who had never heard this story before, it's a lovely story and I really enjoyed it. Thanks sugar |
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| Author: | Fiona Mc [ Mon Jan 03, 2011 2:16 am ] |
| Post subject: | Re: The Christmas Spider |
I've never heard that legend before and love it. Thanks BTW love how the kids say Mama baths babies and writes books. no wonder Monty was confused |
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