For Children - When a monstrous spider comes to town to protect his favorite Christmas tree, the townspeople are sent running. But he has a talent for decorating trees, and a new holiday tradition is born.

1. The Christmas
Spider

2. Once, there lived a spider,
deep in the woods,
near a small town.
He was quite large.

3. Every year, the people
there would celebrate.

4. They put up lights,
hung garland, and decorated
a very large tree.

5. The tree came from
the spider’s forest.
He loved climbing trees.
One year, the townspeople
cut down his favorite tree.

6. Enraged, he chased them
from the woods.

7. They chased
him back.

8. The spider watched from
the woods, while the
people put up his tree.

9. They decorated it...
...and danced.

10. The spider wanted to
climb his favorite tree.
So one night, after
bedtime, he snuck out
of the woods.

11. ...and climbed the
Christmas tree.

12. The sun rose, and the
spider was still in the tree.
It was Christmas Eve.
He watched the people gather
while children played.

13. They threw snowballs,
and built snow-forts.
They played
near the tree.

14. Too near...
An ornament fell.

15. The giant spider jumped
from the tree.
The children screamed.
Everyone fled.

16. He tried to chase
them away...
...but he was tangled up
in ornaments and garland.

17. The men came
with their guns.
and the big spider ran
With all the decorations
ringing and clanging.

18. The tree fell and
the spider dragged it...
...until the garland
finally broke away.

19. And he escaped!
Leaving a trail of ornaments behind.

20. The tree was ruined.

21. It was too late to fix.
And most of the decorations
were gone.

22. The spider watched.
He felt terrible.
When darkness fell,
he crept into town...

23. ...and rebuilt
the tree!

24. On Christmas morning,
the people of the town
returned.
The tree was fixed!

25. All the decorations were
back where they belonged.
It was perfect!

26. The children
opened their gifts.
And they sang,
and they danced.

27. And high in the tree, they saw
two red eyes, and a trail of
tinsel leading from the woods.
Was it the spider?

28. They never touched the tree again.

29. Every year since, they put up the
tree, and it always stays perfect.
Whenever an ornament falls, it
finds its way back.
Sometimes, a trail of tinsel leads
toward the forest.
The Christmas Spider was there.

30. Is he watching over your tree?

31. The End.
© 2013 Tom Bishop