Taylor Swift's 'random' first Christmas job before fame that inspired festive song
Fans have been left gobsmacked after discovering what Taylor Swift's first job was - and it's not for the squeamish.
The iconic 34-year-old singer-songwriter, who has become one of the most influential and recognisable artists globally, had a rather humble start before her legendary status and billion-dollar fortune.
Born in Pennsylvania, US, Taylor Swift was raised on a Christmas tree farm, which inspired her festive song of the same name. Her first job was an unusual one - she had to check the sold trees for praying mantis egg sacs, and remove any she found.
These insects often attach their egg sacs, resembling a brown, walnut-sized hard lump similar to a pine cone, to Christmas tree branches for safekeeping. Unsuspecting families then take their tree home, adorn it, and risk finding 100-200 baby praying mantises in their homes.
In an interview with Esquire, back in 2014, Taylor shared a glimpse into her unique childhood growing up on a Christmas tree farm. She revealed the unusual responsibility she had: "It was such a weird place to grow up.
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"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?’"
Taylor shared it was her dad who took care of the farm as his hobby, despite his day job as a stockbroker for Merrill Lynch: "He'd get up four hours early to go mow the fields on his tractor," she admitted. "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 how old she was when she started this task, and how long she kept it up for, she said: "From five to 10. The only reason that was my job was because I was too little to help lift trees."
This quirky detail about Taylor's past became a hot topic again after footage of praying mantis egg sacs surfaced online, leading to one fan sharing: "Fun Fact! When Taylor Swift's family owned a Christmas tree farm it was her job to pick the Praying Mantis egg sacks of before people bought them!"
One person replied: "That’s what I was thinking," while another added: "She’s so strong." A third echoed the sentiment, penning: "I was looking for this comment."
Amid the chatter, one stunned person concluded: "Help, this is so random," and someone else revealed their surprise: "I never knew that they actually owned a Christmas tree farm."
Taylor Swift's 2019 hit 'Christmas Tree Farm' draws on her cosy childhood memories, fusing them with the soul-warming buzz we love in festive tunes.
In your garden, praying mantis can come in handy due to their diet of pests, munching on everything from flies and moths to beetles and caterpillars – making them a fab chemical-free pest control option.
For those anxious about stumbling upon an egg sac within the branches of their Christmas tree, it's only a concern for real tree enthusiasts – such occurrences are pretty rare, particularly over here in Blighty.
