Man builds a snowman around tree trunk. Then he sits back and waits for his moment of vengeance

Winter is supposed to be a magical time of year. People put up twinkling decorations to celebrate the holidays, work tends to slow down, and folks carve out extra time to see their family and friends.

Apparently, some people also get their kicks by destroying snowmen.

And one content creator says he's made a one-man competition out of punishing the vandals.

‘I purposely make snowmen around tree trunks'

A TikTok aggregator account (@qiuok13) shared a video of a creator describing how they've intentionally foiled would-be snowman vandals for years. The video has since accumulated more than 7.2 million views.

The video is actually lifted from content creator Aran (@aranisagoodboy). Aran is the one who, this past March, initially uploaded a front-facing video of him describing his scheme to thwart snowman vandals.

It is important to note that Aran's content appears to feature at least some satire. For example, he claimed in an April video to be the viral yodeler at a Sabrina Carpenter concert. In another video, he joked, in costume, that he was “[leaving] the Amish community to start [his] pop/rap career.”

Nevertheless, Aran's snowman video got more than 4.7 million views.

“I purposely make snowmen around tree trunks so that guys who think it's funny to run over kids' snowmen totally total their cars,” Aran said. “So I started doing this a couple of years ago, because one of my little brothers made a snowman and some guy thought it was funny to run it over. So I built the snowman around a tree trunk.”

‘I think it's important to teach people to respect children'

According to Aran, “it worked.”

“The guy came back, thought it'd be fine to run it over again, and totaled his car,” he said. “So now I do it every year.”

Aran said he's gamified the practice by annually attempting to beat his “high score from the previous year.”

“This year, I think I'm at 20 cars so far,” he said. “I'm thinking about trying to expand, trying to convince maybe neighbors and other people to let me build snowmen around their tree trunks and hopefully total more cars. But we'll see.”

Aran finished his video by asserting that this snowman scheme isn't fun and games for him. Rather, he's “ just fulfilling a civic duty.”

“I think it's important to teach people to respect children and respect their work and their artwork,” Aran said of the snowmen. “And it is kind of funny to see them total the cars in their reaction.”

@aranisagoodboy #snowman ♬ original sound – ARAN

Is it illegal to build a snowman around a fire hydrant or tree trunk?

While Aran's video was likely satire, CBS News did report in 2019 that a Kentucky homeowner built a 9-foot snowman over a tree stump. As a result, would-be “vandals received a dose of karma for trying to plow into the snowman with their car.” The snowman ended up still standing.

Aside from Aran's original video, viewers also reacted strongly to the aggregator account's edit of Aran's video. Specifically, many were shocked by the photos of snowmen built around fire hydrants, rather than tree trunks. So are such snowmen even legal?

Generally, no.

States have clear laws banning the obstruction of fire hydrants. For example, New York City's administrative code makes it “unlawful in any manner to obstruct the use of any fire hydrant,” including by piling snow, ice, or “other material” on or near it. 

California's municipal code in San Mateo echoes this. It bars anyone from placing “lumber, rock, sand, debris or other substance” within three feet of a hydrant's circumference. It also bans similar “debris” within 15 feet of its outlets—regardless of whether the property is private or public.

The consequences of blockages

In a 2025 press release, the Fire Department of the City of New York (FDNY) announced it had issued a $4,000 fine “following a double fatal fire in the Bronx.” A vehicle blocked a fire hydrant, which delayed first responders, and two people ended up dying in the fire.

“Blocking a fire hydrant is a selfish decision that can kill people, and endanger [firefighters] as they work to save residents,” an FDNY commissioner said. “Don't block a fire hydrant.”

When it comes to snowmen around trees, however, the law is murkier. It isn't inherently illegal to use trees to build snowmen on one's property. However, if a person sets up a contraption with the intention of injuring others, it could be considered a “booby trap.” Those can most definitely get you in trouble.

“Even if somebody is not supposed to be on the property, if the homeowner knowingly set up a booby trap with the intention of injuring a trespasser, that trespasser can then sue the homeowner to cover things like medical bills and other costs,” writes attorney Jay Gervasi. “The homeowner has violated their rights by injuring them in this fashion.”

Buzz News reached out to @qiuok13 and Aran via TikTok comment.