When Michele White and her family got their Christmas tree they didn’t expect to find a stowaway … four days later. But that is exactly what happened.
According to Fox 56 News, the Whites didn’t know about an unexpected present hiding in their tree after bringing it home and decorating it.
White said she loves picking out a live Christmas tree every year and “we pick it out as a family.”
This year, the family, who lives in Kentucky, enjoyed its annual celebration with no ruffled feathers, but after four days, a baby owl popped from its hiding place and perched on a branch.
The owl remained in hiding until Bobby Hayes came to clean the carpets while the Whites were away.
He said, “The owl was literally sitting on a lower limb here.”
“It crawled up into the tree further. It took me several minutes to even find it,” he went on.
Hayes took a picture of the young bird and sent it to White before he captured the unexpected guest.
White said, “I thought he’d put a stuffed animal or an ornament in it, so I called him immediately, like, ‘You’re kidding me, right?’”
“I was shocked. I was so stunned,” she went on.
She then noted, “I have three dogs. We use this room non-stop: watch TV; the kitchen’s right here; no indication.”
She also expressed her gratitude for Hayes’ quick thinking. She explained that if she had found the baby owl, she would not have been able to handle it.
“I would have left the house,” she said. “The owl could’ve stayed without me. I wasn’t coming home.”
Thankfully Hayes was there. He gently took the bird to the Whites’ backyard without injuring it and sent it home for the holidays.
“Everybody’s going to be able to have a merry Christmas now,” he concluded.