10# Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer: One hit wonder

3 min read

6 months ago Nathan

Here’s the surprising history behind your favorite Christmas Carols!
What if “The Red-Nosed Reindeer”, Frosty and the “One Horse Open Sleigh” had nothing to do with Christmas?
Singing Christmas songs goes hand in hand with baking Christmas treats, listening our favorite Christmas tales, watching our favorite Christmas movies, and not only.
Like everything around this period of the year, everything has a story.
From songs that have been saved from being erased forever to not really knowing for sure where a song came from, here is the history of a few Christmas Carols you know and sing still today!

Enjoy our Advent Calendar 2022!

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🎄🎅🏻 THERE ARE ONLY 15 DAYS UNTIL CHRISTMAS 🎅🏻🎄

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Some Christmas songs aren’t quite in the spirit of the holiday—and “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer” is definitely one of them.
It is a classic tune though with deep, North Texas roots.
And while it’s not the most popular caroling choice, it’s certainly been a fan favorite since 1979 when it was recorded by the husband-and-wife duo of Elmo Shropshire and Patsy Trigg.

According to some sources, songwriter Randy Brooks, who lives in East Dallas, and his band had car trouble in Lake Tahoe and got stranded.
They ended up being invited onstage at a local club to join headliners Elmo and Patsy Shropshire, Randy played his novelty song, and Elmo and Patsy liked it so much they asked if they could cut it as a single. The rest is history.
Randy never had any other big hits, but Grandma’s demise has been on the air every Christmas since.

The lyrics tell the story of a grandmother celebrating Christmas Eve with her family when she ventures out into a snowstorm while drunk on eggnog, despite everyone beseeching her not to.
She is found the next day, trampled.
Santa Claus and his reindeer are determined to be the culprits when “incriminating Claus marks” are found on her back. Grandpa is unfazed by his wife’s demise and spends the holiday “watching football, drinking beer and playing cards with Cousin Mel,” while the rest of the family mourns Grandma’s death and wonders if her gifts should be returned, agreeing unanimously that they should.
Christmas dinner otherwise goes on as normal, with a centerpiece of roast goose, figgy pudding for dessert, and candles that match Grandma’s wig. In closing, the singer warns listeners to “better watch out for yourselves”, because “a man who drives a sleigh and plays with elves” is unfit to carry a driver’s license.
In the music video, where Elmo plays both Grandma and Grandpa and Patsy plays Cousin Mel, Grandma survives the attack and makes a triumphant return through the chimney.