The Christmas Truce

Winter, 1914. The generals lied. The soldiers were told they would be home by Christmas, that the war would be over soon, but the war still rages on. Casualties continue to rise on both sides, and the rain, the rain keeps on pouring. The muddy ground is dotted with craters and puddles, the trenchs fill with water, and the gloomy clouds fill the air. Until one day, the rain stops and the clouds part. The water in the trenches drain and the puddles freeze. Then, silence. Unbreaking silence. Silence that hasn't been heard for months. The gunfire stops and the artillery dwindles. The germans shout to the English, "Tommorrow, if you no shoot, we no shoot!" Then, on one cold December night, the British peek above their trenches to see lights, and prepare for a German attack. But then, they hear voices, german voices. Not one, not five, but an army of voices singing in harmony. And then British voices are heard singing too. The sun has risen, the soldiers rest in the trenchs and write letters to loved ones back home. Then, the crunch of snow is heard as a soldier does something that would usually be the worst decision. A soldier steps out of the trench into No Man's Land, right in the line of fire. Then, on the other trench, another soldier steps out. Not armed with rifles nor grenades, they walk out into No Man's Land, trusting their enemy not to shoot them. Then, more soldiers come out, and more. They come out to meet the friends that used to be their enemy. And what do they do? They don't fight, they shake hands, talk, give gifts, share cigarettes, laugh, smile, sing, and bury their dead. Then a football appears and teams are formed. Both the Germans and the British run, trying to kick the football into their opponents goal. A Christmas miracle, though the generals will not allow it to happen again. It's interesting to think about how that more than a hundered years ago, young men, not that much different from you and me, decided to take a brave step into No Man's Land,