Every year, we watched the same main Christmas specials. They’d come on television in early to mid-December, and these cartoons and claymation shows became part of the holiday tradition. We’d pay attention to the night the stations broadcast them, and the family would set aside time to gather and watch.
Most of these specials barely mentioned Jesus, if they did at all. The secularization of a Christian holiday was in full swing by my childhood. And yet, two specials made the Bible story a central focus: Charlie Brown and The Little Drummer Boy. For those of us who went to church and believed in Jesus, we loved those.
The Little Drummer Boy song and special had a huge impact on popular Christianity. Rock groups have sung the song, placing the main character at the manger scene. But is it a biblical story?
The song, “The Little Drummer Boy,” places the main character in Bethlehem at the time of Jesus’ birth, and he plays a drum solo for the baby as his gift. While placed in the biblical story, “The Little Drummer Boy” is a fictional account and not in the Bible.
Over time, many Christmas traditions have appeared alongside the biblical account, building both Christian and secular aspects. For example, the most famous Santa Claus began with the historical figure of St. Nicholas, a 4th century Christian bishop known for his generosity. Over the centuries, the legend of St. Nick transformed through European folklore and influence to become Father Christmas and eventually what we know as Santa Claus. Santa became a central part of the American celebrations by the 19th century.
The modern Christmas holiday evolved through the 19th and early 20th centuries, mixing Christian traditions with secular celebrations. The American consumerism popularized the holiday through advertising. While originally observed quietly, Christmas began shifting to a bigger and more widely accepted season of giving gifts, gathering with family, and community events. Charles Dickens’ 1843 A Christmas Carol especially heightened the importance of the holiday, and he included themes of generosity and redemption, appealing to a broad audience.
Through radio, film, and television, Christmas exploded through the early to mid-20th century. Media brought the holiday and these new traditions directly into homes. Hollywood films like It’s a Wonderful Life and Miracle on 34th Street portrayed nostalgic visions of Christmas. Television continued this with 1964’s Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer (by Rankin/Bass), which became an instant classic. Other popular specials included A Charlie Brown Christmas, Frosty the Snowman, and How the Grinch Stole Christmas. These taught more general values of kindness and love.
Within this emergence of television, Christmas, and consumerism, The Little Drummer Boy aired in 1968 and brought us back to the real reason for Christmas: God sending his Son for our salvation. The King of Kings arrived as a vulnerable baby, and the Good News is for everyone. Jesus came as a poor boy, in a manger, and this invites even poor drummer boys to come to him.
American composer Katherine Kennicott Davis wrote the song, “The Little Drummer Boy,” in 1941. Originally called “Carol of the Drum,” a traditional Czech song inspired it, although she wrote the music and lyrics. She wanted the song to be a simple piece for choirs, with a rhythmic beat mimicking a drumbeat. Davis sought a new carol to emphasize humility, giving, and the innocence of a child sharing what he had.
The song tells the story of a poor boy who has no valuable gift to give the newborn baby Jesus, so he chooses to play his drum in love and praise. The message taught people to give from the heart. It empowered people to find ways of being generous apart from money or materialism. In 1941, the world and America were coming out of the Great Depression, and many could relate to the lonesome poor boy giving something simple in praise to Jesus.
The song gradually gained popularity but really achieved mainstream success in 1958 when the Trapp Family Singers recorded it. In the same year, the popular Harry Simeone Chorale re-released the song and retitled it “The Little Drummer Boy.” Their version became a big hit and brought the song into American homes. With the repetitive “pa-rum-pum-pum-pum” section, the song was easy to sing for young and old alike. Radio stations played it and increased its popularity.
Like the Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer special, also based on an original song, Rankin/Bass productions produced a stop-motion animated television special, The Little Drummer Boy, making the song and story even more famous. The claymation version expanded the song into a dramatized version of the song with character development and more of the drummer boy's background. Since then, the show became a regular part of Christmas television programming.
The song, “The Little Drummer Boy,” has been covered by various artists. Bing Crosby and David Bowie’s famous 1977 duet remains popular today. Secular and Christian pop and rock artists have their versions as well, each bringing out new facets of the song in their own style.
While the drummer boy doesn’t show up in Scripture, his story shares the same values found in the biblical accounts of Jesus’ birth.
Luke describes shepherds in the fields who first receive the announcement of Jesus’ birth. The angels appear to them, declaring the wonderful arrival of the Messiah, and the shepherds race to nearby Bethlehem to see the newborn babe. These shepherds are ordinary, possibly marginalized people. They come to worship Jesus without gifts or offerings, only bringing their wonder and reverence. This real story reflects how Jesus came first for the ordinary and the poor before the wealthy and powerful.
The wise men, or Magi, enter the nativity in Matthew. Unlike the shepherds, they come from far away, probably Persia or Babylon, guided by a supernatural celestial event, a star signaling the birth of a new king. The wise men bring their valuable gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh—to honor and worship Jesus. These men were Gentiles, non-Jews, and they showed how the wealthy and learned must humble themselves and recognize Jesus’ authority.
The fictional drummer boy is young and poor, with no wealth to offer Jesus. Instead, he plays his drum, giving what he has. This act mirrors the shepherds’ humble approach, coming as they are without material gifts. Their presence and reverence proved enough to please God and be an example to us. At the same time, the drummer boy's choice to use what he can echoes the wise men’s valuable gifts. God cares more for the heart of worship and obedience than extravagant wealth.
While not in the Bible, the drummer boy teaches the same biblical message from Matthew and Luke. Everyone, regardless of wealth, status, or age, can come to Christ and offer what they have. God accepts gifts from the heart, like the poor widow’s penny pleasing God more than the rich gifts at the Temple (Luke 21:1-4). God welcomes all who come to him in sincerity and faith. “The Little Drummer Boy” celebrates this reality.
The drummer boy’s story teaches Christians today how God values the heart and motivation far more than the size of the offering. God can create anything he wants. He doesn’t need wealth. What he desires, and he will not force, is our hearts of love submitted to him, which expresses itself through giving generously of our time and money.
God will use what we have to honor him. The little drummer has no gold like the wise men. He only has his ordinary drum and what might seem like a menial skill. But he chooses to give it with his whole heart, and God accepts it. Jesus smiles at him in the fictional story. In the same way, we don’t need to wait until we have enough to honor God. Moses gave what was in his hand, a staff, and God used that staff to bring down a kingdom and part the Red Sea. Whether it’s our skills, time, or resources, we can see how every gift becomes meaningful when offered in love and devotion.
The drummer boy allowed God to use him right where he was. The boy didn’t look around for better opportunities. He took action with what he had in the moment. Like the boy, we shouldn’t wait for a “perfect time” to serve. The perfect time doesn’t exist. Often, we think we must be in a certain place or have achievements before we can serve God, but that’s a lie. God has placed us in our current situation and moment to serve him now, seeking our faithfulness and obedience in our current everyday life with our current abilities. He will multiply them supernaturally.
The Kingdom of God doesn’t operate by force or manipulation. If anyone could make us follow him, God can. Yet he doesn’t. He invites us, calls us, and inspires us to choose. More than anything, he desires this gift, our heart. The drummer boy plays the drum not because anyone asks him to or forces him to but because he wants to honor Jesus with something. He understood Jesus was worthy of any gift. We can do the same, actively seeking ways to bless God and serve others out of love. Many times through the Gospels, faith impressed Jesus more than anything, often from different and unexpected places and people (Matthew 8:5-13). This involves taking an intentional and deliberate view of worship, paying attention to the daily opportunities we have to honor the Father. By choosing to bless God with what we have, we find a life of joy, peace, and love.
Like the drummer boy, we can sincerely approach God with whatever we have and trust he will use it for his glory and our good.
Peace.
Photo credit: ©Rankin/Bass Productions