A new TikTok trend is giving dogs everywhere a Christmas gift they’ll never forget — and it’s free

The holiday spirit has been more exciting this season, as dog owners give their canines a special "gift" that has left them with "wide eyes," and it's totally free! In a recent TikTok trend, dog parents around the world have been giving their canine companions a joyous Christmas present that they'll never forget, and the videos of their reactions have melted hearts online. However, experts reveal that there are more surprising reasons behind their curiosity.

Pet owners on social media have turned taking their dogs to see Christmas lights into a popular ritual, and the pups seem to love it. Videos captioned "Reminder to take your dogs to see Christmas lights" have been actively circulating TikTok this holiday season. In a video posted by @jennancollins_ on November 16, 2025, the pet owner filmed the reaction of her Golden Retriever named Diesel as she took her dog to see the Oglebay Festival of Lights. The video featured the adorable pup peeping its head through the car window and curiously checking the light display. The overlay text read, "Remember it's their first time living too," and the comments could not agree more. @LilyMcKay wrote, "Or is it? I have a theory that dogs were once kids who didn't make it to adulthood." @boyinbalenci commented, "They're your best friend for a short time, you're their entire world for their entire life. Remember that." @muse35056 remarked, "Dogs are like innocent children."

Another video posted on November 19, 2025, showcased an Alaskan Malamute (@nagathemalamute) whose owner shared a hilarious video of wrapping her canine in multicolored LED lights and wrote, "It's time. P.S.: No dogs were harmed in the making of this video. Those are harmless LED Christmas lights." According to Colby Julien, animal behaviorist and dog trainer at Geo-Sniffing, the enjoyable experience and widening of their eyes while seeing the lights is associated with their personalities. Julien explained to Kinship, "Curious dogs with positive exposure to lights and new environments will find the displays intriguing and enjoyable. However, curious dogs startled by motion-activated decorations might feel stressed."

She advised dog parents to look for signs like lip-licking and big "whale eyes" to understand if their dog is enjoying the Christmas tradition. She also noted that the curiosity and joy not only come from viewing lights, but also from spending quality time with their owner. Another dog behavior expert, Nicole Kohanski, who is also the founder of Wiggle Butt Academy, is a mom of eight dogs and decided to take three of her dogs for a walk on a brightly lit street to analyze their responses to the Christmas spirit.

"For my first walk, I took my most confident pup, Chewie. He was more interested in smelling the lights near the ground and trying to potty on them," she said. "He enjoyed all the new things on his route, but I had to actively manage him from shorting out the neighbor's lights." She noted that her other dog, Artoo, was not keen on lights, but the "blow-up decorations deserved a few warning barks." She later took her third pup, Obi, who grew a bit nervous and immediately walked back to safety. From her experiment, she advised pet parents to check for signs and take it slow. "Dogs perceive lights differently than we do because of their eye structure and visual processing. Some dogs could absolutely enjoy the season's decorations, but other dogs may find them worrisome," she noted.