Do you remember that scene in “National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation” where the entire Griswold family freaks out because of a squirrel in the Christmas tree? Obviously it’s played up as intentionally over the top given that squirrels aren’t really a major safety threat (unless they’re rabid but, well that’s just common sense) but what if it wasn’t a squirrel? What if instead of a cute rodent, there was a powerfully venomous boomslang snake hiding in the tree? Wel,l then you’d be the Wild family from South Africa.
On Friday, December 10th, Rob and Marcela Wild were decorating their Christmas tree with their kids.
So… you know what, we need to change this up; there are a lot of articles that just rattle off the facts in standard fashion, so maybe we should tell this a different way…
T’was December the 10th
And through the Wild House
A creature was stirring
That would happily eat a mouse
Some ornaments were hung
By the Christmas tree with care
But the Wild’s didn’t know
Something else was hanging there
A snake had been nestled
All snug in the tree
Which the family cats eyed
Before the humans could see
So momma with her wisdom
And dad with his too
Figured the cats detected something
Perhaps a mouse or two
But out from the tree
With neither a crash or a bang
The wild family saw
A snake called a boomslang
These venomous critters
Can put a life to an end
With only a bit of its poison
According to a report from CNN
Away from the tree
They flew like a train
And called up a snake catcher
Who’s called Gerrie Heyns
It took roughly two hours
But Gerrie Heyns did appear
With a pair of snake tongs
Instead of reindeer
The snake was quite docile
Once gently removed
And put into a device
They call a snake tube
It’s good fortune this snake
Is not prone to attack
So Gerry was able to put it
Away in his pack
And so we exclaim
As you eat Christmas Cake
Merry Christmas to all
And check your tree for venomous snakes
The snake and the family are fine. Gerrie Heyns, snake catcher, safely removed the creature from the family’s tree.
