An unexpected pet got their picture taken with Santa at the pet store

During the holiday season, pictures with Santa are basically a rite of passage. And even our pets get to take their pictures with either him or the Grinch! (I know our local Petco was offering pet pictures with the Grinch since the beginning of December.)

At one pet store, they got an unexpected surprise as a pet parent brought their hamster for pictures with Santa. As the viral video on TikTok points out, the pet store did not specify which pets could get their picture taken. And since the hamster, whose name is Jitterbug, was actually purchased from this same pet store, they couldn't resist taking their pet in for pictures when they saw the advertisement that they could book an appointment for Santa pictures.

According to Newsweek, Jitterbug's owner explained that "We saw the ad for photos with Santa back in November and immediately booked it at the same store she came from. While we waited, we had some employees ask us who was in there since it was only dogs in line. We think they were nervous of her being a snake or something. She immediately went into his hands and stayed still for the photos because she is used to getting her photo taken."

Jitterbug the Hamster gets their picture taken with Santa and the video went viral on TikTok

On TikTok, the video has over 696,000 likes alone and showcases the journey to the store and of course the moment when Jitterbug and Santa met. The pictures of Santa and Jitterbug are so cute and it is clear that this hamster knows their way around a camera.

Honestly, we love this whole thing! And we also love the fact that the pet store Santa is clearly a much younger Saint Nick.

Check out the viral TikTok video here to appreciate the cuteness for yourself. You won't be disappointed.