Herita Ilunga sat behind a drum kit with a large smile on his face as laughter filled the room at London's first children's hospice Richard House, while Fabio Daprela and Manuel da Costa joined in the musical fun.
Elsewhere, Jonathan Spector rolled a football back and forth with an excited toddler while Robert Green - standing in front of a huge inflatable Christmas tree - handed out presents and Gianfranco Zola listened to managerial advice from a seven-year-old.
This was the festive and happy scene at Richard House in Beckton, one of the club's proud partner charities.
The hospice is as much about fun and making memories for life-limited kids and their families as anything else. Heading into its second decade, Richard House captures the true spirit of Christmas as a haven of hope and happiness.
SEE MORE OF RICHARD HOUSE ON WHUTV
The manager and the five players were given a guided tour of the building as kids buzzed in and around them, thrilled to see some of their favourites up close. There were moments when the reality of life for many of those who pass through the hospice hit home, but it was never too long before the laughter returned.
Summing up the day, England goalkeeper Green said: "We have been aware of the hospice through the club as long as I have been here and the support from the fans has been phenomenal.
"To come and see the work and the people that use the facilities and the children with their families makes it that more real. It has been a humbling and wonderful exercise for all the boys that are here.
"It is always vitally important, especially at times like Christmas, to think of others who might be suffering, as well as your own family and friends."
As well as offering his thanks to the players and manager for visiting, Richard House chief executive Peter Ellis was keen to pay tribute to those supporters who help the hospice, its staff and volunteers to keep going with generous donations and fundraising initiatives.
He said: "People have been incredibly generous and continue to be so despite the economic climate. At the moment, we are OK but we don't know what the next year or two is going to bring.
"I think it is fantastic. We are very local to West Ham and it is brilliant that the club support us. We get a lot of help from the local community and it is obvious that many of them are West Ham fans. When people know that a club like West Ham is supporting us that does something positive and it raises their interest."
