In the novelty Christmas song “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer,” Grandma is described as having been drinking eggnog when she got run over.

Direct answer

  • The lyrics explicitly say: “She’d been drinkin’ too much egg nog,” referring to what Grandma had before she headed out into the snow on Christmas Eve.
  • This drinking, plus leaving her medication behind, sets up the comedic “accident” with Santa’s reindeer in the song’s story.

Mini context: the song’s story

  • “Grandma Got Run Over by a Reindeer” is a humorous Christmas song popularized by Elmo & Patsy, telling a darkly comic tale of Grandma walking home drunk on eggnog on Christmas Eve and getting run over by Santa’s team.
  • The exaggerated scenario, including the eggnog detail, is meant as holiday satire rather than a realistic or serious narrative.

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