A Kentucky family's holiday decorations had an unexpected gift inside it this year.
Turns out, the Lexington family's Christmas tree was home to an owl, which stayed inside the tree unnoticed for days, even after the family decorated it in their living room.
Madeline White posted on TikTok saying her mom "decorated our entire Christmas tree and then went FOUR days without realizing an owl was living inside it."
The caption was paired with video of the owl still in the tree inside their home.
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“I have three dogs,” White told a local news station. “We use this room nonstop: watch TV; the kitchen’s right here; no indication.”
Bobby Hayes, who owns Magic Carpet Cleaning and was at the home while the family was out, first noticed the bird after plugging in a piece of equipment and seeing the tree start to sway.
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“The owl was literally sitting on a lower limb here,” Hayes said.
“It crawled up into the tree further,” Hayes said. “It took me several minutes to even find it.”
He sent photos to White, who said she was glad he was there to deal with the animal. Hayes said he was able to safely release the owl in the family’s backyard.
“Everybody’s going to be able to have a merry Christmas now,” Hayes said.