"One of our family friends noticed the tree was moving ...”

Madeline Hill and her family go together to pick out their Christmas tree every year on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving. It’s a tradition they love and look forward to — but this year, it didn’t go quite as planned.

“The tree was delivered on Friday, which is also when my parents decorated the tree,” Hill told The Dodo. “On Monday afternoon, one of our family friends noticed the tree was moving.”

The family friend investigated the tree a little closer, searching all around, and quickly discovered the source of the movement: an owl living in the family’s Christmas tree.

Somehow, the little owl had camouflaged himself and gone undetected for days, living right under the unsuspecting family’s noses. Once his cover was blown, he took his hiding to an expert level.

“Once the owl realized it had been seen, it crawled deep into the tree,” Hill said. “It then took a little while before we found the owl again, this time knowing it was in the tree. The owl was completely camouflaged, which is why it was never seen while decorating the tree.”

Eventually, the family managed to locate the owl again and very gently removed him. The owl was definitely confused, but once he realized he was heading home, he immediately perked up.

“There are many trees surrounding my parents’ house, so the owl was taken outside and flew happily away back into its environment towards all the trees,” Hill said.

The moral of the story? Always check your Christmas trees carefully — you never know if somebody's home!

Photo Source: MADELINE HILL