Over 100 years ago, an amazing truce was held on WWI battlefields

They say that Christmas is a time to put aside your differences to celebrate with your fellow man, and that was never more true than in the case of the famous Christmas Truce in World War I.

In 1914, the unthinkable happened as an unofficial ceasefire took place along the Western Front in Europe, as soldiers on both sides stopped fighting to celebrate Christmas in peace.

French, German, and British soldiers crossed trenches to exchange gifts, seasonal greetings and general Christmas cheer.

On Christmas Eve and Christmas Day in some places along the Western Front, ‘no man’s land’ was put to good use as soldiers played soccer together, exchanged food, sang carols and held ceremonies to bury the dead.

The presents exchanged between the opposing sides were small and included food rations, souvenirs, cigarettes, coat buttons, alcohol and hats.

Some soldiers even organised prisoner swaps. Many Germans are reported in letters and documents as lighting candles along their trenches and on the branches of Christmas trees.

For some sectors, the truce only served so soldiers could collect their dead. In other regions, the truce lasted until New Year’s Day.

Memories of the Christmas Truce are well documented in letters and diary entries, with some still surfacing today.

WWI would continue for another 4 years of bloodshed, but the Christmas Truce stands out to this day as an enduring testament to our universal humanity in a time of hardship and despair.

Did you have any older relatives who served in the Great War? Did any of them participate in the Christmas Truce?