A North Carolina family got a pre-holiday surprise when a squirrel took up residence inside their Christmas tree.

The critter entered the home through a loose roof shingle.

The squirrel managed to get into the house, where the family dog chased it until it jumped inside the tree to escape.

The homeowner posted a three-part video series of the encounter with the creature on Facebook.

She wrote, “All my Griswold peeps will appreciate these nine minutes of pure terror,” a reference to the “Christmas Vacation” movie scene where Clark Griswold, played by Chevy Chase, discovers a squirrel perched inside his Christmas tree.

In the clips, her three children are heard shouting, “Is it dead?” “Mommy, go full force on it!” and “Call daddy!” which she did not, and poked it out of the tree until it escaped through an open window.