Each year at Christmas I post a version of Silent Night. This year I have something a little different to share with you. Don't worry though, Silent Night is in there.
November 11, 2018 marked the 100th anniversary of the end of World War 1. The story told in the video below happened near the start of that horrible war.
For a few days around Christmas of 1914, the guns along the front fell silent and soldiers from both side joined together to celebrate the common holiday. The Christmas truce was not arranged or even encouraged by the commanders - it was the men in the front line trenches who took it upon themselves to stop fighting for this brief period.
The so-called Christmas Truce of 1914 came only five months after the outbreak of war in Europe and was one of the last examples of the outdated notion of chivalry between enemies in warfare. It was never repeated—future attempts at holiday ceasefires were quashed by officers’ threats of disciplinary action—but it served as heartening proof, however brief, that beneath the brutal clash of weapons, the soldiers’ essential humanity endured.
From The History Channel website https://www.history.com/topics/world-war-i/christmas-truce-of-1914
Merry Christmas to all and a hope for peace on Earth!