In 1914, one hundred years ago this Christmas, World War I soldiers in the trenches of Flanders put down their weapons and met each other in peace for a while. The trenches were rudimentary “scratches in the ground”, sometimes less than 100 yards away from the enemy. British and German soldiers could hear the other side, smell their cigarettes, and occasionally catch a glimpse of one another. In essence, the two sets of troops were living in each other’s pockets. When a cold snap arrived and it snowed on Christmas Eve, the soldiers took it upon themselves to create an unofficial temporary truce.
On New Year’s Eve 1914, a letter written by a soldier from the trenches on that fateful Christmas Day appeared in the Manchester Guardian: “One officer met a Bavarian, smoked a cigarette, and had a talk with him about halfway between the lines. Then a few men fraternized in the same way, and really today peace has existed. Men have been talking together, and they had a football match with a bully beef tin, and one man went over and cut a German’s hair!” The Guardian wrote: “It was the simple and unexamined impulse of human souls, drawn together in face of a common and desperate plight.”
“It was not war, but it was certainly magnificent.” wrote another officer as he described the now legendary truce of 1914, a Christmas miracle where men on the front line briefly stopped killing each other and wished the enemy the compliments of the season.
As we mark the one hundredth anniversary of this extraordinary event, it is still moving to think that even in midst of a heated battle, there was, for a brief moment, “Peace on earth and good will toward men.” Eventually, however, the soldiers were instructed to return to battle and the war waged on.
As you celebrate Christmas tomorrow and in the days to come, try to hold the spirit of the season in your hearts for as long as you can:
• It is Christmas in the heart that puts Christmas in the air. ~W.T. Ellis
• Christmas waves a magic wand over this world, and behold, everything is softer and more beautiful. ~Norman Vincent Peale
• May Peace be your gift at Christmas and your blessing all year through! ~Author Unknown
• I will honor Christmas in my heart, and try to keep it all the year. ~Charles Dickens
Wishing you Peace, Joy and Hope this Christmas,
~Bob, Mary, Pam, Shelly, Kendra and Tammy
