There are certain things you expect to find in a Christmas tree: ornaments, garland, lights, and ... possums?
One Texas woman, TikToker @brettbratt359, recently found one of the latter in her Christmas tree and had quite a harrowing evening getting it out of the tree and out of her house.
She was minding her own business when she heard a "soft sneeze," that she quickly determined wasn’t coming from her own menagerie of dogs, cats, snakes, and bearded dragons, so she followed the noise to her Christmas tree.
The interloping possum stared back from between the branches, and she didn’t know what to do.
She later posted an update with the whole story, including a harrowing tail of extracting the possum from the tree by hand, and chasing it around the living room.
Animal control, she said, was not helpful, as she lives in a small town and it was after-hours for the control officer.
Armed with rubber gloves that her out-of-state boyfriend had recommended, and knowing she needed to keep her actual pets away from the possum for everyone's safety and the possum’s well-being, she “just went for it.”
First, it clung to the tree with its little possum hands. Once she had carefully detached it from the tree, one finger at a time, it plopped to the floor, along with half of her ornaments.
Then began the real adventure, with the possum darting underneath one couch or the other. For everyone who has said that possums are slow, this TikToker begs to differ.
The Christmas jokes immediately started.
@castle_nottingham/TikTok
@loramichelle50/TikTok
Obviously, “possum in a pear tree” was too irresistible a pun.
@court1808/TikTok
@almitatij/TikTok
The possum seemed quite happy to make the tree his home.
@ketchupandbananas/TikTok
@ashleysokay/TikTok
@vickyrayyy29/TikTok
@wtfmarieeee/TikTok
Others pointed out the possum’s similarity to a cat ... sort of.
@that_girl_490/TikTok
@tango.electrique/TikTok
Really, people asked, what is with all of these animals in trees?
@sony3100/TikTok
In some cultures, a woodland creature in your tree is good luck.
@specialk.525/TikTok
The possum was finally relocated, but what an adventure for the Christmas season!
@hebagowayed/Bluesky
@waitmanwbeorn/X
@eighthoften/Bluesky
@antigonesdream/Bluesky
A1