6 Worst Things Found In New York Christmas Trees

A real Christmas tree should last you up to six weeks, but you will want to make sure that there’s nothing hiding in your tree before you set it up in your house. 

When you get the tree back to your house, you should give the tree a good shake so the loose needles fall to the ground. While you shake your tree, keep an eye out for any animals or insects that may have hitchhiked their way to your house via tree transport. 

Trust me: you don’t want to have an unexpected visitor ruining your Christmas.

Only after the tree has been deemed clear of pests, then you can bring it inside. 

However, many people will rush the tree process, and that can lead to a variety of animals and insects showing up in your home. There have been quite a few…unique experiences, to say the least, and they are all situations that could likely reoccur this year in New York homes. 

Take a look at the 6 worst things found in a New York Christmas tree. 

6. An owl - Remember when a tiny owl was found to be living inside the Rockefeller Tree? Workers were unwrapping the Norway Spruce, originally from Oneonta, N.Y., when an owl must have gotten trapped inside. It got taken to a wildlife center in Saugerties before being set free.

5. Your Dog/Cat - I think everyone has seen National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, right? And what happened to the cat in that movie? Let’s not do that with our pets at home and try to keep them away from the tree, even though they want to play with the ornaments. 

4. Opossum - Opossums could eat anything and everything…they love fruits, insects, birds, dead animals, garbage, and even a slice of pizza! That’s why many of them are present in the New York City area, and they just may climb into your Christmas tree. One woman in Texas shared a video on social media after finding a opossum in her artificial tree. Pretty scary to see his eyes looking back at you like that.
   

   @brettbratt359I don’t understand how this thing is in my house right now.♬ original sound - Brett

3. Squirrel - Recently, Chevy Chase stopped in Buffalo, New York and revealed to the audience that the squirrel scene from the iconic Christmas film, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, featured a real life squirrel! Based on the way it went down in the movie, I’m not sure I would want to have one in my tree….
   
   
4. Praying Mantis Eggs - You'll want to look for a little brown sac attached to a branch before you bring your tree into the house; if not, you may have a bunch of praying mantises living with you. That walnut sized/egg shaped mass on your Christmas tree is most likely home to a bunch of baby praying mantis…as someone in Western New York found that out the hard way in 2022 after finding one on their tree. If you see one on your tree, just clip the branch it's on and put it in your garden, so the baby praying mantises can hatch outside. 
5. Ants - Christmas trees grow in the woods, and ants love the tree sap, so they will try to hang around as long as they can. Make sure that you shake the tree out before bringing it inside, and if there are still ants, vacuum them up! 

As long as you inspect your tree outdoors, you should be able to avoid the tree trouble this year.