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Honored Contributor
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ATLANTA (AP) — A Georgia family got a real hoot from its Christmas tree: More than a week after they bought it, they discovered a live owl nestled among its branches.

 

Katie McBride Newman said Friday that she and her daughter spotted the bird on Dec. 12. They had bought the 10-foot (3-meter) tall tree from a Home Depot, brought it back to their Atlanta area home and decorated it with lights and, coincidentally, owl ornaments.

 

“It was surreal, but we weren’t really freaked out about it,” McBride Newman said. “We’re really outdoorsy people. We love the wilderness.”

 

The family opened windows and doors near the tree hoping the owl would fly away, but it didn’t.

 
“The owl seemed to be pretty comfortable, and I thought, ‘Hey buddy, it’s not going to go well if you just stay here. There’s no food, I’m sorry,'” said McBride Newman’s husband, Billy Newman.

 

So the family called a nonprofit nature center for help. The Chattahoochee Nature Center caught the bird and helped the family release it.

 

McBride Newman said she believed the bird had been in the tree since they bought it, but was hidden.

 

“We think he was just in there hugging the trunk,” she said. “It’s a very dense tree and it was very fresh. That’s why we picked it.”

"You call him The Edge, I just call him The"
Trusted Contributor
Posts: 1,064
Registered: ‎05-30-2010

A Christmas Miracle....love it!!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,844
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Cute but creepy too!  I would hate to have it fly around at night trying to find food in my house!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 30,916
Registered: ‎05-10-2010

I don't about Christmas miracle, it was shocker.  We're hearing a lot about  critters and wildlife in live Christmas trees now.  I don't remember that being the case years ago.  I suppose now when they harvest the trees, they don't inspect them.  

Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,602
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

That is absolutely amazing. That's a real Christmas gift. Thank you for sharing @Greeneyedlady21 

Honored Contributor
Posts: 12,882
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

Wow, it was a true tree hugger considering they wrapped the strings of lights around the tree and hung the tree decorations.  Hard to believe it didn't budge.  And to take a nap with all the commotion right out in the open!

Honored Contributor
Posts: 14,658
Registered: ‎03-09-2010

@Greeneyedlady21 -

That is an amazing surprise!

Thank you for sharing this story. I would have felt that is all the presents I needed just to see this owl!

"If you walk the footsteps of a stranger, you'll learn things you never knew. Can you sing with all the voices of the mountains? can you paint with all the colors of the wind?"
Esteemed Contributor
Posts: 6,741
Registered: ‎09-22-2017

I think now the family needs to put some ornaments on their tree that look

like their beautiful temporary visitor. Woman LOL

Honored Contributor
Posts: 35,597
Registered: ‎05-22-2016

Wow that owl is adorable! Looks so peaceful there asleep it looks like.

Honored Contributor
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Registered: ‎05-13-2010

@Greeneyedlady21   Thanks for the photo!!!

 

This is hands down the absolute BEST holiday story this year!!!!