Fans were left stunned after discovering what Taylor Swift's first job was – and it's not for the faint-hearted.
The 34-year-old singer-songwriter, who is now one of the most influential and recognizable artists globally, had a relatively humble beginning before her rise to fame and fortune.
Born in Pennsylvania, Taylor Swift grew up on a Christmas tree farm, which inspired her festive song of the same name. Her job? Checking the sold trees for praying mantis egg sacs.
These insects often attach their egg sacs, resembling a brown, walnut-sized hard clump similar to a pine cone, to Christmas tree branches. Unwitting families could then bring their tree home, decorate it, and potentially wake up to a surprise of 100-200 baby praying mantises in their homes.
In an interview with Esquire in 2014, the star revealed: "It was such a weird place to grow up. But it has cemented in me this unnatural level of excitement about fall and then the holiday season. My friends are so sick of me talking about autumn coming. They're like, ‘What are you, an elf?’"
She also shared her father, a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch, tended to the farm as his hobby. "He'd get up four hours early to go mow the fields on his tractor," Taylor added. "We all had jobs. Mine was picking the praying-mantis pods off of the trees, collecting them so that the bugs wouldn't hatch inside people's houses."
When asked about her age during this time, she said: "From five to 10. The only reason that was my job was because I was too little to help lift trees."
This information came back into the spotlight after videos warning about praying mantis egg sacs on Christmas trees went viral.
One viewer commented: "Fun Fact! When Taylor Swift's family owned a Christmas tree farm it was her job to pick the Praying Mantis egg sacks off before people bought them!"
Another user agreed: "That’s what I was thinking," while someone else was in awe, writing: "She’s so strong".
Another person exclaimed: "Help, this is so random," while one surprised fan noted: "I never knew they actually owned a Christmas tree farm". Taylor Swift dropped her hit 'Christmas Tree Farm' in 2019, a song which encapsulates the warmth of nostalgic childhood memories with a cozy festive vibe.
Praying mantis are the garden's little helpers, feasting on a wide variety of pests including flies, moths, beetles, aphids, and caterpillars, presenting an eco-friendly alternative to harsh chemical pesticides.
And for the ones worried about discovering an insect surprise within their tree, take note this advice pertains only to genuine Christmas trees, and stumbling upon such clusters is pretty rare.
