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A Story of Christmas Unity: The Christmas Truce of 1914

Christmas Truce / Wiki Commons
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The story of the Christmas Truce is a legend that tells of how WW1 British and German troops in 1914 emerged from their trenches and laid down their arms on Christmas Day in a truce to come together in holiday spirit.

The story tells of the Germans illuminating their trenches on Christmas Eve, singing Christmas songs and exchanging Happy Christmas wishes. The two sides serenaded each other with Silent Night and The First Noel. (source)

The most famous part of the story that lives on is the football game that took place between the two sides on Christmas Day. Football was a popular sport in both Germany and Britain and the soldiers often played behind the lines with fellow soldiers. Football & Christmas were two things that both sides had in common and they came together in a unified spirit of respect.

Today there are football competitions commemorating the truce every year. While there is no solid evidence of the facts that the football game actually took place or the extent of the soldiers who may have participated, we do know that the spirit of the event existed as noted by some of the men who shared their experiences of that day.

These men who told the stories of the Truce on Christmas Day in 1914 showcase that no matter what our differences are, the holidays bring out the spirit of unity. 

 

Christmas Truce / Wiki Commons
Holiday Observance
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