Twitter user 砂漠 sabaku (@eli_elilem) lives with an unusual pet in a mountainous region of Japan.

If you weren't able to recognize it from the image above, it's an emu, a flightless bird and cousin of the ostrich.

On Christmas Day, 2021, sabaku posted a video showing what it was like to celebrate Christmas when you have an emu living in your home.

A lavish dinner on the table, a glittering Christmas tree, and... a free-spirited emu doing what emus like to do!

Not exactly your typical Christmas dinner guest, is it? The sight of an emu freely pecking at the ornaments on a Christmas tree went viral, and the video has been played over 1.6 million times at the time of writing.

According to its owner, the emu's favorite activity is to poke at "loose objects" such as the cords of the Christmas lights.

It must have seen the ornaments hanging on the Christmas tree and thought it was a new toy.

Some of the comments the post elicited were:

  • "What an impact this makes!"
  • "It's so surreal. This video made me laugh."
  • "Oh, how cute!"

Sabaku's emu also seems to enjoys Christmas wreaths!

Of course, raising an emu is not for everyone, but if you have the patience and the right living environment for one, this Christmas dinner might be one you'll want to emulate!


By - grape Japan editorial staff.