Christmas
Peace
One remarkable tale of Christmas is the day peace
broke out in 1914. By Christmas of that year fighting
on the Western Front in World War One had claimed one
million casualties. Those still alive were living in
rat-infested trenches.
On Christmas Eve the sky was clear and the night
was crisp and fresh. Lights appeared from the German
trenches and the allied soldiers thought an attack was
imminent. But the Germans raised their voices not their
weapons and started singing. The carol Stille Nacht
reached the Allied trenches, which they recognised as
Silent Night. The lights were small Christmas trees
the German soldiers had set up.
Without authorisation soldiers started climbing out
of the trenches and wandering into no-man's land. Enemies
ate and drank together. Some British infantrymen ate
their Christmas dinner in German trenches. Others joined
forces with the enemy to bury their dead. A game of
football started, though it's not recorded who won.
Unfortunately the soldier's humanity alarmed
their leaders and both sides prevented a repeat of the
Christmas truce in the years that followed. But the
idea that the peace and goodwill of Christmas could
even bring a pause to a war is a remarkable testimony
to the power of this season.
