Yes, you read that title right!
I’m going to start this post off with saying my mom and her sisters are SO creative. I definitely know where I get my crafty genes from. But for this Christmas memory I am going to add “ambitious” to the list.
This particular year as the child and one of the recipients of this crafty surprise I remember how AWESOME this Christmas was!
Now, as an adult and mother of two, and also knowing how much work had to go into this one. I’m kinda wondering what was in their eggnog that year!
So the story of the Magical Christmas Spider Web begins… (at least as I remember it)
I was probably around the age of 7. My aunts, uncles, and cousins on my maternal side had come into town to spend the weekend celebrating our family Christmas together.
On Saturday morning I woke up and sleepily made my way downstairs to go through the living room and into the kitchen like I did every morning. Except this morning my path was blocked off! The the living room door was closed. So I turned to make my way back around the stairs through the dining room to gain access to the kitchen (which I succeeded).
But then I noticed the other door to the living room, now on the kitchen side, was also closed. I didn’t even know that room had doors! At least we never used them. I approached the door and could hear voices from the other side. Curiosity now in overdrive. I, like every other child who would be in the same situation would think “Now I have to know what’s on the other side!” I go for the handle but it doesn’t move, locked! “It has locks too?” I knock and press my ear against the hardwood. I hear my mom’s voice from the other side say “You can’t come in yet!” accompanied by giggles from my Aunts.
“Ok, what is going on here?” I thought. So, I ran upstairs to wake up my cousins and sisters to inform them that we now have mystery to solve! (I was and still am a big mystery nerd. At this point I had read most of R.L. Steins Goosebump books)
As we all (the kids) made our way down to the forbidden room we were stopped just before we reached the the door by my Aunt Holly. Behind her I see the mystery door slowly open, just enough for the adults to squeeze out of but not enough for me to peak in! Dang!
We were split into two groups one for each door entrance and handed a ruler that had our name written on it. Attached to the ruler was a ribbon that went under the door (now the door of my wonderment). A different color ribbon was used for each child. We were instructed that when the doors open to start rolling our ribbon around the ruler.
Okay, great now the suspense IS killing me!
After what felt like an eternity, the doors swing open! Standing in the doorway, looking in, I see, suspend throughout the entire room, walls, floors, furniture even from the ceiling was a giant (magical) spider web made from ribbon and gifts.
Once we picked up our chins from the floor, we rolled our ribbon around the ruler which led us through a maze of sorts. Crawling under tables, stepping over couches and each other! Every couple of feet led us to a wrapped gift that was attached, some suspended in the air some hidden behind a chair, one after another. Once we collected all of our ribbon and gifts, the room was back to normal and we sat down to open our presents!
It’s funny because I don’t remember any of the gifts that I got that year, but I will never forget HOW I got them!
So like I said earlier, as a kid it was an amazing event! I’m still not sure how long it took them to put it together, or if they ever went to bed that night. But us kids had a blast taking it all down!
So what are your thoughts on this gift giving idea? Is this something you are ambitious enough to try out? Let us know by adding your comments below!
