Christmas trees often have a star or an angel on top, but at one Arlington home this week, an owl flew down the chimney like a certain jolly old elf and did a little decorating of its own.
Savannah Burgoyne was taking care of her baby Wednesday when she heard something in the fireplace. Later in the day, their dog got nervous and howled. A little while later, when Burgoyne went into the kitchen, she found herself face-to-face with a barred owl.
“I walked into our kitchen, and there was a huge owl sitting on our baby’s highchair,” she said.
The owl flew over to the Burgoynes' Christmas tree, knocking the star off the top and replacing it.
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“I’m, like, very personally sad that there’s no Hogwarts enrollment letter that it came with,” she joked.
“It’s a magical Christmas moment that it felt comfortable on top of the Christmas tree,” she said. “It knocked over our star.”
She Facetimed her husband, who had taken their 3-year-old and 6-year-old daughters to gymnastics. Jason Burgoyne called the Animal Welfare League of Arlington.
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He got home about the same time Sgt. Spencer Murray arrived at the house. Murray wasn’t expecting an actual owl, but a much smaller bird that they'd mistaken for an owl.
“When I walk in, lo and behold, there was an owl,” he said.
The family had opened big doors in the room, but the owl didn’t fly out. Instead, it flew from treetop to the kitchen and back.
The girls watched with delight. The Burgoynes' giggling 6-year-old was particularly enraptured.
“He’s, like, 'This is the perfect spot',” their dad told them.
“He’s, like, on top of the tree,” his laughing daughter replied.
“How are you going to get that guy out?” she asked Murray.
Murray said it required patience, letting the owl fly back and forth until it wore itself out.
In his four years rescuing animals, it was only the second owl Murray has encountered.
“It was one of my favorite calls that I’ve ever responded to,” he said. “It’s just a picture-perfect moment of the owl looking at us while on top of the Christmas tree.”
As soon as the photo was posted on the Welfare League’s social media pages, comments poured in.
“This is so magical and so beautiful,” one said. “What an amazing photo. Next year’s Christmas card for the family.”
Several people posted they already are placing owl decorations at the top of their Christmas trees.
“It was a beautiful animal,” Jason Burgoyne said. “We felt super lucky. We were very sad to see it leave. I mean, it was gorgeous, and to watch it fly back and forth silently in our house was so cool. The kids, they loved it.”
But the moment of departure was also magical.
“Off into the night,” the Burgoynes’ 6-year-old daughter said.
The owl left behind some Christmas magic and a story the family will tell for years to come.
CORRECTION (Dec. 21, 2024, 10:50 a.m.): An earlier version of this story gave the wrong first name for Savannah Burgoyne.
