Watch FOR KING + COUNTRY's Energetic Performance of 'Little Drummer Boy' on 'CMT Crossroads Christmas'
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CMT Crossroadsm> is getting country music lovers in the holiday spirit with a little bit of help from FOR KING + COUNTRY.
On Wednesday, PEOPLE is premiering a clip from CMT Crossroads Christmas: FOR KING + COUNTRY & Friends, where the Grammy-winning duo takes the stage to perform the classic "Little Drummer Boy."
In the opening of the clip, brothers Joel Smallbone and Luke Smallbone are seen on stage before an audience. Before starting the song, Joel, 38, gives the audience a short spiel about the meaning of Christmas.
"It's remarkable to think that a baby boy born in a stable — no prestige or privilege, no social media, no social status, political campaigns or private airplanes. And yet, he turned B.C. into A.D., he flipped the world on its head," he began. The most famous name around the globe, the most read book written, he reconnected us to heaven and in turn, brought heaven down to earth. And now, this Christmas, he offers us redemption — a fresh start. Freedom, so that we can hold our heads high and master this life knowing that we are never alone."
Catherine Powell/Getty for CMT FOR KING + COUNTRY
He later added, "That you are enough. So light up that Christmas tree, stand under the mistletoe, surround yourself with the ones that you love the most."
The duo then goes on to perform their rendition of the classic with Luke, 36, passionately playing the drum.
"Little Drummer Boy" is only one of the many exciting performances set to be featured on the episode, premiering on Dec. 12 at 10 p.m. ET. There will also be encore performances on Dec. 12 at 11 p.m. ET, Dec. 18 at 11 a.m. ET and Dec. 24 at 7 a.m. ET.
Catherine Powell/Getty for CMT FOR KING + COUNTRY and Chrissy Metz
The holiday episode will also feature performances by BRELAND, Chrissy Metz, Natalie Grant and Rebecca St. James. Meanwhile, FOR KING + COUNTRY and their guests will share intimate Christmas memories, family traditions and what the holiday means to them.
"What does Christmas mean to you? For us, it sounds like the most meaningful songs ever written. It looks like different genres, family members and cultures coming together — reunited under love, joy and the redemption of a baby boy," the duo said in a press release. "We linked arms with our Country Comrades at CMT to put together a special night that does just that… grateful."
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In November 2020, the Christian pop duo opened up to PEOPLE about re-recording "Little Drummer Boy" and making it their own.
"It's very basic," Joel told PEOPLE, explaining how he and his brother cracked the "Little Drummer Boy" code. "This is a song about a boy who's playing a drum for Jesus. And here we are, seven guys [in the band] playing a load of drums. Why didn't Bing Crosby or Frank Sinatra ever think of this? We just feel like these slightly dumb, very obvious Australian fellows who did something that, for whatever reason, no one ever thought of."
Catherine Powell/Getty for CMT FOR KING + COUNTRY
Luke added, "It was just the lowest hanging fruit of all time, that nobody had put drums on the 'Little Drummer Boy.' And we were just there at the right height."
They also said that the song and its meaning have become so embedded in the group's DNA that Luke, who's played the drums since childhood, now thinks of himself as a "Big Little Drummer Boy."
"I've got this gift," he said at the time. "I can play the drums a little bit, and I play them with passion, and I play them with the love I had when I was a little boy. That's where it all started, just falling in love with creating beats."
