Ode to The Little Drummer Boy

Published on 12/19/2024

By Steve Gwisdalla

There is a great joke that goes along with this holiday classic. There they are. This family of three. Tired, exhausted, and more than a little put out because they had to sleep with the animals because there was no room for them in the inn. Their newborn baby asleep in a manger. A young man approaches them and thinks to himself, ‘You know what these poor people need? A drum solo.’

A still get a chuckle out of that joke every time I think of it. It is also my absolute favorite holiday song. I have very distinct memories of sitting in a candlelight Christmas Eve service and the entire congregation weeping as they sang Silent Night in German with no organ. The church was lit with nothing but candlelight. While it was a beautiful to be a part of, as a young man, I remember sitting there thinking, ‘I do not know German. I didn’t know all these people were bi-lingual.’ But when we sang The Little Drummer Boy, someone must have been cutting onions around me, because I could not control the tears. Here was a little boy (drum solo and all) who only had the one thing he was good at to offer. The line that gets me every time…

“Then he smiled at me, barum-ba-bum-bum

Me and my drum.”

A simple act (playing his drum) followed by a simple act (a smile). For me, that is the holiday season wrapped up in a few simple words.

What are you good at? What gifts do you possess? What have you been blessed with the most? Money? Time? A particular talent? The holiday season is amazing for many people. For man others, it is the worst time of year. Those without are reminded with seemingly every advertisement on the television or radio about the material gift session this season has become. Those who have to work and miss out on their family’s holiday cheer because they work in retail or are a first responder. Those who can barely make ends meet.

My friends, what is your drum? If you had only a single gift to offer someone this holiday season, my question is simple…Are you offering that gift to those in need?

The beauty of the holiday season to me is a song like The Little Drummer Boy and the idea of Santa Claus. My son, now fifteen, asked me many years ago about good old Saint Nick. I told him Santa is very real. What is Santa? Santa is a magical person who gives without asking for anything in return. He gives things you could not get for yourself because he loves you. He gives and asks for nothing in return. Yes, for my money, Santa is very much real.

My friends, play your drum solo for those in need.

Be someone’s Santa.

Here is the catch. If you have found yourself not pulling your drum out to play solos or being Santa for anyone lately, here is the perfect time of year to practice. Can I let you all in a little secret? Once you play your drum for someone, you will want to play it more. I can hear some of you. “But Steve, Santa isn’t around in March, or July?” Oh really? Says who? My friends, we here in the Tribe of Up can and should be a symphony of little drummers and an army of Santas year-round. Our communities need us to be. Our neighbors need us to be. Our nation needs us to be. Dust off that drum of yours. Now, more than ever, people need your talents.

Bah-rum-ba-bum-bum.

Steve is a Dexter Resident and the Owner, Captain of the Drumline, Vice President of Santa Stuff, and Little Drummer Orchestra Conductor at Better Place Consulting, a career, success, and small business consulting firm. Reach out to him at steve@betterplacemgmt.com.