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Cobweb Christmas: The Tradition of Tinsel
This beautiful picture book about the warmth and wonder of Christmas and the origin of tinsel on trees will leave children enchanted with the magical possibilities of the season. Everybody loves Christmas at Tante's. The old lady decorates a wonderful tree and makes certain to have something for all who come to visit, be it the nearby village children or the shy animals of the pine forest. The only creatures Tante overlooks are the spiders she has swept out of her cottage while cleaning. But the curious spiders want to come inside and see Tante's tree, too. When a midnight visitor lets them into the old lady's home, they unknowingly spin Tante the very gift she has longed for—a gift that has inspired the draping of tinsel on Christmas trees ever since. “A charming story.” — Publishers Weekly All her life, Tante had heard tales about marvelous happenings on Christmas Eve. Animals might speak aloud. Bees might hum carols, or cocks crow at midnight. Tante wished she could witness a bit of Christmas magic, too....
Hardcover
First published September 1, 1982
3 people are currently reading
380 people want to read
About the author
Shirley Climo
25 books37 followersShirley Climo was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1928. She attended DePauw University until her mother died unexpectedly in 1949. She dropped out of college and took up her mother's work writing scripts for the weekly WGAR-Radio children's program Fairytale Theatre. During her lifetime, she wrote 24 books including The Korean Cinderella; Magic and Mischief: Tales from Cornwall; A Treasury of Princesses: Princess Tales from Around the World; A Treasury of Mermaids: Mermaid Tales from Around the World; and Someone Saw a Spider: Spider Facts and Folktales. She died on August 25, 2012 at the age of 83.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews
December 19, 2017
This is an old traditional story from the German traditions going back centuries. I had never heard it before until today.
This story is about a little old auntie who gets ready for Christmas. She lives alone. She invites all the children over so she is also beloved. She really wants to see a Christmas miracle. She wants to hear the animals talking or dancing with each other.
This Christmas she falls asleep and it happens while she is asleep. This story has a full page of spiders. It was pretty gross for someone who doesn't like spiders. The kids were grossed out too, or the little one enjoyed watching me get grossed out. You can figure out where the tinsel comes from.
A unique story and I actually enjoy it despite the spiders. A beautiful book.
This story is about a little old auntie who gets ready for Christmas. She lives alone. She invites all the children over so she is also beloved. She really wants to see a Christmas miracle. She wants to hear the animals talking or dancing with each other.
This Christmas she falls asleep and it happens while she is asleep. This story has a full page of spiders. It was pretty gross for someone who doesn't like spiders. The kids were grossed out too, or the little one enjoyed watching me get grossed out. You can figure out where the tinsel comes from.
A unique story and I actually enjoy it despite the spiders. A beautiful book.
December 22, 2022
I am definitely more than a bit conflicted with regard to the 1982 picture book The Cobweb Christmas (which I am reading on Open Library). Yes, author Shirley Climo does a generally very nice job describing a traditional German Christmas scenario, and I really do appreciate that Tante, that the Auntie character not only goes out to cut down her own Christmas Tree, but that she also leaves enough of the tree for it to regrow, that she does not in fact kill the tree (and wow, I am not even all that annoyed with Climo not providing source materials, which is rather surprising as that usually tends to bother me quite a lot). And indeed, Shirley Climo's entire story for The Cobweb Christmas, it is textually speaking really sweet and delightfully demonstrates not only some wonderfully engaging Christmas magic (but more folkloric than religious-themed), is kind of a pourquoi tale regarding the tradition and origin of tinsel, that the Tante character readily and generally shares her Christmas with the village children and also with the local animals, and importantly, that she also learns a valuable lesson in The Cobweb Christmas and decides to in the future equally include spiders in her Christmas celebrations (since the spiders, with the help of the Christkindel, the Christ Child, have made such a wonderful and magically cobwebby Christmas Tree for her).
However as much as I have enjoyed Shirley Climo's presented text for The Cobweb Christmas, as much as her printed words are magical and also totally and sweetly Christmassy in tone, sorry, but I do have some rather major issues with Joe Lasker's accompanying artwork. For one, while I do admit that Lasker is aesthetically presenting some pretty visually stunning snowscapes in The Cobweb Christmas and that his pictures of the village, the animals, the village children and the also Tante's Christmas Tree are descriptive and nicely cozy-looking, I really do not understand why Tante herself has to be depicted not only quite uglily but for me and to me also rather witch-like (as this certainly gives me an uncomfortable feeling that Joe Lasker might somehow believe that elderly German women physically are supposed to look rather like the witch from the Brothers Grimm's Hansel and Gretel). And for two, and much more problematically in fact, I guess Joe Lasker obviously has NO idea and NO concept of what the German Christkindel is actually supposed to signify and mean. I mean, since the Christkindel was originally created by Martin Luther as a substitute and a replacement for St. Nicholas (and is always depicted in Germany as a generally white clad angel like child), it is both factually wrong and totally strange that Lasker's depicted Christkindel in The Cobweb Christmas is basically a small in stature Santa Claus (which for me makes no sense whatsoever, and I do have wonder why Joe Lasker could not have done his research and to not automatically have assumed that because the American Kriss Kringle is based on the German Christkindel, the latter would also and automatically look like Santa Claus or like St. Nicholas).
Therefore and in my opinion, while textually, my rating for The Cobweb Christmas is solidly four stars and very much enjoyable, Joe Lasker's illustrative take on the Christkindel has certainly bothered me enough to lower my rating for The Cobweb Christmas from four stars (for Shirley Climo's words) to only three stars.
However as much as I have enjoyed Shirley Climo's presented text for The Cobweb Christmas, as much as her printed words are magical and also totally and sweetly Christmassy in tone, sorry, but I do have some rather major issues with Joe Lasker's accompanying artwork. For one, while I do admit that Lasker is aesthetically presenting some pretty visually stunning snowscapes in The Cobweb Christmas and that his pictures of the village, the animals, the village children and the also Tante's Christmas Tree are descriptive and nicely cozy-looking, I really do not understand why Tante herself has to be depicted not only quite uglily but for me and to me also rather witch-like (as this certainly gives me an uncomfortable feeling that Joe Lasker might somehow believe that elderly German women physically are supposed to look rather like the witch from the Brothers Grimm's Hansel and Gretel). And for two, and much more problematically in fact, I guess Joe Lasker obviously has NO idea and NO concept of what the German Christkindel is actually supposed to signify and mean. I mean, since the Christkindel was originally created by Martin Luther as a substitute and a replacement for St. Nicholas (and is always depicted in Germany as a generally white clad angel like child), it is both factually wrong and totally strange that Lasker's depicted Christkindel in The Cobweb Christmas is basically a small in stature Santa Claus (which for me makes no sense whatsoever, and I do have wonder why Joe Lasker could not have done his research and to not automatically have assumed that because the American Kriss Kringle is based on the German Christkindel, the latter would also and automatically look like Santa Claus or like St. Nicholas).
Therefore and in my opinion, while textually, my rating for The Cobweb Christmas is solidly four stars and very much enjoyable, Joe Lasker's illustrative take on the Christkindel has certainly bothered me enough to lower my rating for The Cobweb Christmas from four stars (for Shirley Climo's words) to only three stars.
December 12, 2011
Read this last year and forgot to post a review! I actually got it for my aunt because one year she had spiders in her (real) Christmas tree so I thought she would appreciate this title ;-) It tells the story of how tinsel came to be!
Read the original edition with illustration by Joe Lasker.
Read the original edition with illustration by Joe Lasker.
December 20, 2018
Rating: 3.5
In our family, putting on the tinsel (icicles) is the final step in decorating the tree. And we're very particular. The icicles have to be evenly distributed and they have to hang straight. The only kind of icicles we use are made with lead, and they're getting harder and harder to find. Similarly, the garland has to be draped perfectly, with the swags being uniform and equal. Thus, because this folktale addresses both garland and tinsel, it's perfect to read with the kids as we finish decorating the trees.
I like the story and the art, EXCEPT when the spiders swarm into the house. It doesn't fit with the art in the rest of the story. The close-up of so many spiders (all of which have two eyes instead of six or eight or none or ...) is rather creepy, and would have "freaked out" one of my nieces. (Which is why I didn't give this book a 4-star rating.)
In our family, putting on the tinsel (icicles) is the final step in decorating the tree. And we're very particular. The icicles have to be evenly distributed and they have to hang straight. The only kind of icicles we use are made with lead, and they're getting harder and harder to find. Similarly, the garland has to be draped perfectly, with the swags being uniform and equal. Thus, because this folktale addresses both garland and tinsel, it's perfect to read with the kids as we finish decorating the trees.
I like the story and the art, EXCEPT when the spiders swarm into the house. It doesn't fit with the art in the rest of the story. The close-up of so many spiders (all of which have two eyes instead of six or eight or none or ...) is rather creepy, and would have "freaked out" one of my nieces. (Which is why I didn't give this book a 4-star rating.)
November 25, 2018
The Cobweb Christmas, illustrated by Joe Lasker.
Shirley Climo, whose folkloric adaptations and retellings for children range from picture-books like The Egyptian Cinderella and Tuko and the Birds , to collections such as Piskies, Spriggans, and Other Magical Beings , and A Treasury of Mermaids , turns here to the German legend of the Christmas spider. The story of a little old woman, called Tante ("Auntie") by all the local children, who lives in a small cottage by the fir forest, and keeps Christmas every year by decorating a lovely tree, and inviting all of the children, and then all of the animals, to enjoy its loveliness, The Cobweb Christmas concerns the granting of a long-time wish, the occurrence of a holiday miracle, and the genesis of a Christmas tradition. And it all comes about because of the spiders, usually exiled from Tante's home during the Christmas season, as a result of her vigorous cleaning, who spin a very special gift for her, which is then transformed by the Christkindel...
This book appears to have been issued twice, with different illustrations, and slightly different texts. The original - the edition I am reviewing here - was published in 1982, with artwork by Joe Lasker. The reprint, which came out in 2001, contains artwork by Jane Manning, and, in an unfortunate example of Americanization, changes the visiting gift-bringer of the season from the "Christkindel" to "Kris Kringle!" I'm glad that I read the original, although even the 1982 edition is somewhat misleading, as Joe Lasker depicts the Christkindel as a sort of Santa Claus figure, when I understand that he most often appears as a young, angelic-looking boy. Leaving that issue, and the fact that Climo did not include any mention of her source material (always a pet peeve of mine), aside, I did enjoy this sweet little story, which explains the evolution of tinsel. There is a very similar tale from the Ukrainian tradition, a retelling of which can be found in The Spider's Gift: A Ukrainian Christmas Story . Recommended to young Christmas tree lovers, and folktale enthusiasts!
Shirley Climo, whose folkloric adaptations and retellings for children range from picture-books like The Egyptian Cinderella and Tuko and the Birds , to collections such as Piskies, Spriggans, and Other Magical Beings , and A Treasury of Mermaids , turns here to the German legend of the Christmas spider. The story of a little old woman, called Tante ("Auntie") by all the local children, who lives in a small cottage by the fir forest, and keeps Christmas every year by decorating a lovely tree, and inviting all of the children, and then all of the animals, to enjoy its loveliness, The Cobweb Christmas concerns the granting of a long-time wish, the occurrence of a holiday miracle, and the genesis of a Christmas tradition. And it all comes about because of the spiders, usually exiled from Tante's home during the Christmas season, as a result of her vigorous cleaning, who spin a very special gift for her, which is then transformed by the Christkindel...
This book appears to have been issued twice, with different illustrations, and slightly different texts. The original - the edition I am reviewing here - was published in 1982, with artwork by Joe Lasker. The reprint, which came out in 2001, contains artwork by Jane Manning, and, in an unfortunate example of Americanization, changes the visiting gift-bringer of the season from the "Christkindel" to "Kris Kringle!" I'm glad that I read the original, although even the 1982 edition is somewhat misleading, as Joe Lasker depicts the Christkindel as a sort of Santa Claus figure, when I understand that he most often appears as a young, angelic-looking boy. Leaving that issue, and the fact that Climo did not include any mention of her source material (always a pet peeve of mine), aside, I did enjoy this sweet little story, which explains the evolution of tinsel. There is a very similar tale from the Ukrainian tradition, a retelling of which can be found in The Spider's Gift: A Ukrainian Christmas Story . Recommended to young Christmas tree lovers, and folktale enthusiasts!
December 20, 2017
Being the nut about spiders that I am, I loved this one. I have read a large number of variations of this legendary tale and this one was delightful. I am super picky about the tinsel on my tree and I insist on doing it myself after all the kids have put on all the ornaments so I find the stories about tinsel extra fun. And then...there are spiders!
December 15, 2014
I read this every year to Kindergarten and 1st grade students as we decorate the tree in the library. I use cookie shaped ornaments made out of cinnamon and applesauce, bone-shaped dog treats, bundles of wheat and wheat weaving ornaments, popcorn string, fake apples and the small woodland creature ornaments that can be found at Target and Pier 1. Then we add spiders made of sweet gum tree balls and tinsel. The children love the tree and the story. My hope is that the lesson that Christmas is for giving, sharing and the importance of every living creature is not lost on them.
January 2, 2018
We loved reading this German-based Christmas legend. 🌲
December 16, 2010
This is a wonderful children's story. It's based around a German Folktale of a little old lady who everyone calls Tante, which means Aunt in German. Every year right before Christmas she goes through her house cleaning ritual which includes dusting out all the cobwebs so she can put up her beautiful Christmas tree and invite all the local children. Tante always has one of the most beautiful Christmas trees. Every year Tante hopes to see the Christmas Magic at work. This year Kris Kringle walks by Tante's house on the way to the village and hears something and stops in to help spread some Christmas Magic for Tante.
You will never believe what tradition started this way. :0)
Cute story, but also creeps me out a little as I hate spiders ;op
You will never believe what tradition started this way. :0)
Cute story, but also creeps me out a little as I hate spiders ;op
December 7, 2008
A delightful retelling of how tinsel first came to be on Christmas trees. Joe Lasker's beautiful watercolor illustrations are as magical as Tante's Cobweb Christmas in my 1983 hardcover edition by Shirley Climo.
February 8, 2016
Every Christmas, Tante cleans and prepares for Christmas. She invites children and animals to enjoy her tree. She wishes that someday she can experience a Christmas miracle...and then the spiders and Kris Kringle create a magical Christmas miracle.
December 6, 2025
This is a Christmas book we’ve read every December over the past few years but this year it was featured in our Christmas school curriculum through Read Aloud Revival.
My kids loved latching onto the concepts of “refrain” and “implied detail”. We also made happy memories together making tinsel spiders for our Christmas tree, learning about types of spider webs and which species make which webs, and baking the most delicious gingerbread cookies together.
Definitely a stand-out book for us this year.
My kids loved latching onto the concepts of “refrain” and “implied detail”. We also made happy memories together making tinsel spiders for our Christmas tree, learning about types of spider webs and which species make which webs, and baking the most delicious gingerbread cookies together.
Definitely a stand-out book for us this year.
December 8, 2024
Tante's wish to experience Christmas magic is fulfilled in an unexpected way.
An elderly woman named Tante lives in a small cottage at the edge of the forest. Every year she does her Christmas cleaning after which she rides out into the forest and cuts down a Christmas tree. She decorates the tree with cookies, apples, pine cones, and garlands. Then she invites the village children in for a Christmas visit. And each Christmas Eve, she falls asleep, dreaming of tales of Christmas magic.
One year Christkindl is passing by Tante's cottage when he notices the spiders that Tante swept out during her Christmas cleaning huddled before her door. They ask him to let them inside, so that they, too, may see Tante's Christmas tree. Thinking that it could do no harm, Christkindl opens the door and lets them in. The spiders rush in and happily climb all over the tree before departing.
When Christkindl returns, he discovers that Tante's beautiful tree is covered with spiderwebs. To make amends, he uses his Christmas magic to turn the threads to gold and silver. When Tante awakes on Christmas morning, she sees her Christmas tree adorned with shining strands, and she is overjoyed that her wish to experience Christmas magic of her own has been granted.
Every year thereafter, Tante decorates her tree with the tinsel, and because Christkindl had overlooked one tiny spider, spinning its web, she is always sure to leave a cobweb or two when she does her Christmas cleaning.
Interestingly, in this story, Christkindl is depicted in the illustrations as St. Nicholas but described as a magical Christmas spirit in the text. Christkindl is literally the Christ Child. During the Reformation, Martin Luther tried to change the tradition of the magical bringer of gifts from St. Nicholas on December 6 to the Christ Child on December 24. This never caught on for various reasons, but the Christkindl eventually became part of Christmas celebrations, having morphed into a gift-giving angelic being. Christkindl sometimes accompanies St. Nicholas and/or Baby Jesus, depending upon local culture. Sometimes der amerikanische Weihnachtsmann -- literally the American Christmas Man who is the imported American version of Santa Claus -- also delivers presents in Germany.
This picture book also provides an origin story for tinsel. I have fond memories of tinsel, particularly the lead tinsel from the 1950s that my relatives had copious amounts of. Yes, it was toxic, but it looked so beautiful on the Christmas tree, and I wished I would have thought to save some when their houses were cleaned out prior to sale.
Trigger warning: spiders. Readers with a spider phobia should be warned that there are two pages featuring clusters of swarming spiders.
An elderly woman named Tante lives in a small cottage at the edge of the forest. Every year she does her Christmas cleaning after which she rides out into the forest and cuts down a Christmas tree. She decorates the tree with cookies, apples, pine cones, and garlands. Then she invites the village children in for a Christmas visit. And each Christmas Eve, she falls asleep, dreaming of tales of Christmas magic.
One year Christkindl is passing by Tante's cottage when he notices the spiders that Tante swept out during her Christmas cleaning huddled before her door. They ask him to let them inside, so that they, too, may see Tante's Christmas tree. Thinking that it could do no harm, Christkindl opens the door and lets them in. The spiders rush in and happily climb all over the tree before departing.
When Christkindl returns, he discovers that Tante's beautiful tree is covered with spiderwebs. To make amends, he uses his Christmas magic to turn the threads to gold and silver. When Tante awakes on Christmas morning, she sees her Christmas tree adorned with shining strands, and she is overjoyed that her wish to experience Christmas magic of her own has been granted.
Every year thereafter, Tante decorates her tree with the tinsel, and because Christkindl had overlooked one tiny spider, spinning its web, she is always sure to leave a cobweb or two when she does her Christmas cleaning.
Interestingly, in this story, Christkindl is depicted in the illustrations as St. Nicholas but described as a magical Christmas spirit in the text. Christkindl is literally the Christ Child. During the Reformation, Martin Luther tried to change the tradition of the magical bringer of gifts from St. Nicholas on December 6 to the Christ Child on December 24. This never caught on for various reasons, but the Christkindl eventually became part of Christmas celebrations, having morphed into a gift-giving angelic being. Christkindl sometimes accompanies St. Nicholas and/or Baby Jesus, depending upon local culture. Sometimes der amerikanische Weihnachtsmann -- literally the American Christmas Man who is the imported American version of Santa Claus -- also delivers presents in Germany.
This picture book also provides an origin story for tinsel. I have fond memories of tinsel, particularly the lead tinsel from the 1950s that my relatives had copious amounts of. Yes, it was toxic, but it looked so beautiful on the Christmas tree, and I wished I would have thought to save some when their houses were cleaned out prior to sale.
Trigger warning: spiders. Readers with a spider phobia should be warned that there are two pages featuring clusters of swarming spiders.
December 24, 2017
I like this book as a folklore tale told for us to read and enjoy. It explains "why" we put tinsel on our Christmas trees. I love the illustrations of the old woman's house, her sleeping area, fire, and household in general. The pictures definitely add to the story. Read with A & L 12/23/17
Really good book, NOT from my childhood. I love how it explains why we put tinsel on our trees...only the fact that Christkindel lets a LOT of spiders into the poor sleeping lady's house pretty much creeped all 4 of us out!!
Loved it again this year, and the kids exclaimed with excitement when they unwrapped it! 12/6/14
Really good book, NOT from my childhood. I love how it explains why we put tinsel on our trees...only the fact that Christkindel lets a LOT of spiders into the poor sleeping lady's house pretty much creeped all 4 of us out!!
Loved it again this year, and the kids exclaimed with excitement when they unwrapped it! 12/6/14
November 19, 2015
This is a very sweet Christmas story. My heritage is German, so of course I love the fact that this is a German folktale. But I also celebrate Christmas simply, and the simple joys of Christmas really shine in this story. If you know me, you might be surprised by how much I love this book, since I don't love spiders. But if anything could help me with that, it would be this book (the illustrated spiders are pretty cute). If you like traditional tales and believe in the magic of Christmastime, you need to read this book. It is perfectly suited for a group read-aloud or a cozy snuggle story.
December 19, 2016
This old folktale is set in the Bavarian forests of Germany and is about the origin of tinsel. The story is told from the viewpoint of a little old lady who is preparing for Christmas, sharing her Christmas experience with children and animals alike. Because she had heard about "marvelous happenings" on Christmas Eve, she wished that she could witness a bit of Christmas magic, too. With the help of Kris Kringle and some unlikely friends, her wish is granted and the story of tinsel comes into being.
December 10, 2007
This is a cute German Fairy tale about the tradition of tinsel. One of my daughters is freaked out by spiders, and so she had a VERY concerned look on her face as it was being read, but my boys loved it. I had them act out all the verbs used when the spiders arrive... "creeping, crawling, sneaking softly, scurrying, hurrying, quickly, lightly, zigging, zagging, weaving, and wobbling..." It was quite fun and hilarious to watch! :)
December 23, 2014
This tale offers a nostalgic consideration of simpler times and simpler traditions, when preparations for Christmas are completed in a single day, and those preparations are prosecuted for the benefit and joy of others. It also bears a cautionary reminder that even the kindest heart has room to expand the breadth of its embrace.
On the whole it is a sweet tale that adds yet another trinket to the Christmas mythos.
On the whole it is a sweet tale that adds yet another trinket to the Christmas mythos.
December 31, 2015
Well-written story and cute illustrations.
I would be interested in reading the original edition, which had a different illustrator and longer text. Something that threw me off a little in this edition was Kriss Kringle coming to leave things in the children's shoes. From other reviews I've read, it was the more accurate Christkindl in the old edition. Another thing that threw me off was the picture of all the spiders coming into the house...shudder!
I would be interested in reading the original edition, which had a different illustrator and longer text. Something that threw me off a little in this edition was Kriss Kringle coming to leave things in the children's shoes. From other reviews I've read, it was the more accurate Christkindl in the old edition. Another thing that threw me off was the picture of all the spiders coming into the house...shudder!
January 26, 2014
All her life, Tante had heard tales about marvelous happenings on Christmas Eve. Animals might speak aloud. Bees might hum carols, or cocks crow at midnight. Tante wished she could witness a bit of Christmas magic, too.
Everybody loves Christmas at Tante's. The old lady decorates a wonderful tree and makes certain to have something for all who come to visit, be it the nearb...more
Everybody loves Christmas at Tante's. The old lady decorates a wonderful tree and makes certain to have something for all who come to visit, be it the nearb...more
December 16, 2023
Well this was just frickin - am I allowed to use the word frickin a review for a children's Christmas book? - adorable. I have never heard this story, about the tradition of tinsel, and not only is the story cute, but the illustrations are enchanting. It also makes me want to get a spider ornament for the tree. Definitely worth reading, and quite possibly buying.
December 13, 2012
The story (of how tinsel on Christmas trees came to be a tradition) is sweet and the illustrations are beautiful. BUT...that illustration of the 'thousands of spiders' entering the house...that just about did the kids and me in.
December 31, 2014
A lovely story of a little old lady, her Christmas tree, spiders, and a little bit of magic to save Christmas and make it beautiful. The end note gives a fair bit about the history of tinsel, which is quite interesting.
December 9, 2016
This was a cute tale explaining how tinsel became a Christmas tradition. The illustrations were warm and the animals looked cute, even some of the spiders. It was fun to learn the German Christmas tradition.
December 9, 2010
What an adorable little story! I didn't know that in parts of Germany they first put a spider on their tree because of this folktale. We will be putting a spider on our garage tree :)
December 12, 2011
A really cute story about the origins of tinsel in the Christmas tradition. Sweet and wonderful for kids who want to know the why behind everything (like I did!).
December 20, 2014
Great story and loved the illustrations.
February 6, 2015
A sweet Christmas-time story based on Teutonic/Slavic folklore that gives an explanation for the use of tinsel in decorating our Christmas trees. Cute :)
December 4, 2015
I love stories that share folk tales and traditions of other cultures.
September 12, 2016
Love this Xmas story so much, I had to add a spider into the mix of ornament! The spider freaks out the adults, but the kids love it!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 79 reviews