It’s very easy: So long as you don’t hear “The Little Drummer Boy,” you’re a contender. As soon as you hear it on the radio, on TV, in a store, wherever, you’re out. You record your loss on the official reporting form, and you tell us about it on the Facebook wall, along with the time and place of your demise.
Worried about what movies or TV shows might be hiding some stealth LDB, just waiting for you to stumble upon your doom? You should be. So we’ve put together a handy list.
(Special note: You cannot be done in by anyone tricking you into hearing the dreaded tune or otherwise hitting you with it on purpose. Such exposure doesn’t count.)
What’s the time frame? The game begins the day after Thanksgiving (Black Friday) at 12:01 am and continues until midnight, Dec. 23. If you haven’t been puh-rum-pum-pum-pummed, you win. For this year, anyway.
Shameless self-promotion: The LDBC is brought to you by Michael Alan Peck & Co. Feel free to drop us a line.
Please note: I did not create the concept of avoiding the song “The Little Drummer Boy” over the holiday season. I run this version of the game. Other versions predate this one. Two can be found here and here. Whichever version or versions you choose to play, we hope you enjoy it.
Little Drummer Boy Challenge 
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If someone sings it to us in an effort to get us out… are we out?
No, but THEY are, even if they try to tell you they’re not playing.
That is pure EVIL!
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Rules question: my son sent the family a video of him at the piano with my 8 month old grandson holding a small drum. He was playing youknowwhat. Is patricide allowed? Am I and others who listened dead? If so, should I remove him from my will or is it too late?
You and all of the other victims are indeed out, Arthur, unless it was a deliberate attempt. If your son knew about the game and sent the video take you all down, it doesn’t count. He would be out, in fact, even if he says he’s not playing. But if it was an innocent friendly-fire attack, it counts. And if that’s the case, sorry for your losses, and please fill out the reporting form (http://bit.ly/LDBCform) so that you’re included in the game-end stats.
Thank you. It was a deliberate attack. Supposedly a ploy to free us to listen to more.
But I was taken down by others in my family. Who insisted on playing an Xmas channel on satellite radio so the inevitable happened. To my grandson too. We’ll post a picture.
We attended a holiday pub sing in Brattleboro, VT, Friday night. Having been to many pub sings, I really did not fear being attacked there. And I wasn’t.
After church today (12/4/22, about 12;30 PM), we went to buy Advent candles at Kringle Candle in Bernardston, MA. I had a bad feeling about the trip, but didn’t know why until I was attacked by the little bastard, while I crossed the threshold. After I realized I had been assaulted by you-know-who; I looked around to see wonder, love, and unicorns. Okay, I saw no unicorns, but I did see beautiful decorations, as I (in my head) lay, panting on the floor, slipping into Drummer Boy Death. Bright decorations. Bright lights. Bright light. No. No, it is not time to go to the bright light. Maybe I was attacked by some sweet, singing angels. I listened (almost lifeless on the floor, in my head) for a few more seconds. No, it was … him. Little bastard. And he was disguised; I didn’t even know the version. Some poppy crap. It wasn’t something cool like Vince or Bowie and Bing. It was poppy crap that got me. I got off the imagined floor to find my lovely bride gazing at the place where the Advent candles would’ve been. Little bastard with poppy crap got me, yet we got no candles. At Kringle Candle today I found wonder and love. I need to find a unicorn to shove its horn up the butt of that little bastard of poppy crap. And we still need Advent candles.
Merry Christmas to all and best of luck making it through The Challenge. I’ve decided it’s way, way more fun to report a demise on this page than a win. I will try again in 2023. If I lose next year, I get to colorfully report my demise.
Now THIS is the type of commentary I live for, Steve. Bravo, and condolences on your loss.
When you have a moment, could also report in via the form (https://bit.ly/LDBCform)? There’s a place where you can copy and paste this tale there as well.
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My mother lives with us. Last year we explained the rules of the game to her and told her LDB was banned from being played in the house. She told us it was unfair to her because it is one of her favorite songs. One day I came home as she was playing it in the kitchen… I deemed it an out. However, the next song after it was a different version of LDB.
SHE CREATED A PLAY LIST OF ONLY LITTLE DRUMMER BOY.
OUT
OF
SPITE
Later she deemed it her FAVORITE song due to our ‘lack of Christmas spirit’. And played it multiple times daily.
My brother got out by her while sitting on our couch. By this point she had added other songs to her Playlist, but it still held about 7 versions of the song. She walked in, gave him a smirk, and turned it on the Bluetooth radio from her phone. She said she couldn’t help it, ‘it’s the first song in the list’.
Our question is:
If this happens again this year, are we out?
We have agreed if it is playing on a radio station she is listening to (not a playlist) or watching something with it in it, to count it as an out. But is this playlist a fair out or a sabotage?
It’s sabotage—and SHE’S out, not you. Don’t let her try to tell you she’s not playing, either, because we’re ALL playing. See the “Hoist with His Own Petard” rule on this page for backup: https://bit.ly/LDBCrules