<Tr> <Th> Songwriter (s) </Th> <Td> Randy Brooks </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Th> Producer (s) </Th> <Td> Gary Potterton </Td> </Tr> <P> "Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer" is a novelty Christmas song . Written by Randy Brooks, the song was originally performed by the husband - and - wife duo of Elmo and Patsy Trigg Shropshire in 1979 . In the lyrics, a grandmother gets drunk on spiked eggnog at a family Christmas Eve party and, having forgotten to take her medication and despite pleas and warnings from her family, staggers outside into a snowstorm . While on her walk home, she is trampled to death by Santa Claus and his reindeer pulled sleigh . The second and third verses describe the next day's Christmas gathering where "all the family's dressed in black (for mourning)" and the question is asked as to whether Grandma's gifts should be opened at all or sent back the next day for possible refunds or exchanges (the collective answer to that question is a loud "Send them back!"), while the widowered "Grandpa" acts casual like nothing's happened, drinks beer, watches football and plays cards with "cousin Mel". The song closes with a warning that Santa, "a man who drives a sleigh and plays with elves", is unfit for a driver's license, and that the listeners should beware . </P> <P> According to Brooks, he played the song while sitting in with Elmo and Patsy at the Hyatt Lake Tahoe in December 1978, and after the show they had him make a cassette of the song for them to learn . A year later, they were selling 45s of the song from the stage, with Elmo himself appearing in drag on the album cover as "Grandma". </P>

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