When I was a young boy, I could not wait for the Christmas season to arrive. Since we didn’t have much, my excitement was not based upon what gift I might receive but rather on the incredible array of lights and holiday displays. Some houses would put up a simply decorated Christmas tree while others went all out with animated outdoor lights and manger scenes. In my opinion, there can never be too many lights. The more the house looked like the Griswolds’ house in National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, the happier I was.When the Salvation Army representative began ringing the bell at Kmart and Christmas carols were being played on the radio, everyone’s mood seemed to improve, and complete strangers would even greet one another with “Merry Christmas.”
In my neck of the woods, Christmas brought the community together much like the local football team did on a cool fall evening. Churches would collaborate to provide meals to those in need, and youth groups would join forces walking the snowy streets singing at the nursing homes and local hospital. Listening to Christmas songs is magical. The troubles of life seem to subside, and irreconcilable differences suddenly seem to disappear.
Maybe that explains what happened December 25, 1914. During WWI, surprised British soldiers peeked out of their bunkers to see Christmas trees lit with candles just beyond the Germans’ trenches. Soon, they could hear the melody of “O, Holy Night” being sung, and within hours, voices from the German side shouted, “You no shoot, we no shoot!” That exchange led to a brief, spontaneous cease-fire referred to as the “Christmas Truce.”
Over the next few hours, the two sides shared cake, wine, and cigars. The Brits even took time to help the Germans bury some of their fallen comrades. The two sides participated in a football game, which was eventually won by the Germans with a score of 3-2, and then shared their addresses with each other hoping to reconnect after the war. Who knows whether it was the lights or the songs that led to special events, but one thing is for certain — magical things happen at Christmas.
to your business!