A number of European countries, particularly Germany and the Ukraine, tell folk tales about the role of the humble spider in Christmas. In one story with a number of variations the Christ Child changes the spider webs on the Christmas tree into silver tinsel. In another spiders delight the Christmas Child in the manger by spinning a web above him in the night; in another a poor woman’s family is enchanted by the spider webs on the tree which look silver in the morning sunlight. Because of these tales, it is said, an ornamental spider is often placed on the Ukrainian Christmas tree and the tree is decorated with tinsel.