Who do we think the first person to confirm she was a grandmother was? It had to be immediately, right? The paramedic ran up to her and said, “How many fingers am I holding up? Close enough. You were hit by a deer? In December? Do you have children? Do those children have children? Yes these are standard questions. Are you bleeding?”

On the evening of December 10, 2015, in the small town of Tonawanda, New York, 66-year-old Marlene Halt was out on her nightly walk when she was suddenly knocked through the air and onto the ground. A deer, running from a nearby golf course, had blasted right into Halt’s side, even knocking off one of her shoes.

While getting run over by a deer at Christmas probably seemed like an elaborate bit to those close to her, Halt’s injuries instantly proved how serious the situation was. She was rushed to the hospital, where she had an emergency hip replacement. Luckily, she made a full recovery and was able to celebrate Christmas at home with loved ones that very year. 

Surely one of the most specific injuries the town’s hospital had seen, Halt’s family said they even heard the doctor referring to her as “the deer lady.”

The whole family reportedly had a sense of humor about it all, seeing the unbelievable silliness of a Grandma being run over by a (rein)deer at Christmas. They said the song even got some extra plays in their house over the coming weeks. Best of all, Halt’s love of the animal and the holiday haven’t faltered. 

“I like deer,” said Halt. “I just happened to be at the wrong place at the wrong time. I’m sure it wasn’t a crazy deer looking for me.”

Unlike the weird animated movie that I feel like every substitute teacher has played during December, there was no drawn-out court case calling Santa to the stand. Instead, the big guy walked free, and Halt got back to her nightly walks in no time at all.

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