After the Nativity, the Cave and the Legend

Christmas decorations and stories in Christian homes usually include a creche, the manger in a stable in Bethlehem, the Three Kings, shepherd boy and assorted animals and the narrative about them all. Christmas trees with lights and ornaments have traditional significance in families and homes across the world. But the stories told don’t usually include the little known legend of the cave in the countryside where the Holy Family took refuge after leaving Bethlehem, and a special spider believed to be the inspiration for the tinsel on many of those trees.

Yes, a spider.

Newsman, author and talented storyteller Raymond Arroyo turned longtime research of a footnoted mention of this spider in a very old reference book into a lovely, inspiring and acclaimed book The Spider Who Saved Christmas. I talked with him In the Forum to find out where this legend began and what ‘children of all ages’ can learn from the tale.

“Stories are preserved wisdom,” he told me. Since the earliest times when wisdom, customs and traditions were handed down through storytellers, the power of story to form ideas and identities has endured. “When you form a child’s imagination, you’re forming a person and forming a future.”

This one is layered with elements of instinct, purpose, service, sacrifice, wonder and awe. And the message that wraps the story as the spider web wrapped the cave is that “All are here for a reason.”

Learning and holding onto that truth alone is enough reason to have and read this short, beautifully illustrated, well written book. And pass it on to others.