Exactly one hundred years ago the world was involved in what at the time was referred to as the Great War. This war would later be known as World War I and history would reveal how unimaginably horrible this conflict really was. During these 4 long years there were more than 9 million service members killed among all sides and a staggering 7 million civilians that also lost their lives.
Perhaps the lone bright spot during this war occurred during Christmas week in 1914. It was during this time it is said that soldiers on the German side first began peacefully reaching out to the British side and many eventually came out of the trenches and crossed sides to exchange food, gifts and even played some football (known as soccer here in the US). This laying down of the arms occurred in many but not all places and was completely against the upper commands of both armies. Somehow these soldiers, these regular men from both sides, realized that if they couldn't have peace during Christmas, then what would this world really becoming to. Unfortunately this level of Christmas peace was not repeated in 1915 as the higher up commands had given strict orders (although some instances of peace did occur) and by Christmas 1916 the war had become so bitter on both sides that any chance of Christmas peace was lost.
During the British Music Invasion in the 1960s, there was an American group of six guys from Ocala, Florida who named themselves the Royal Guardsmen and have been forever known for their novelty hit "Snoopy vs. the Red Baron" from 1967 and its even more popular followup "Snoopy's Christmas". Snoopy's Christmas" commemorates the Christmas Truce by telling the story of Snoopy flying for the Allies and fighting it out in the skies against the Red Baron from the German side on Christmas Eve. When the Red Baron has Snoopy's plane damaged and square in his sights for the kill, he instead allows Snoopy to land and offers him food and drink behind enemy lines. The songs' chorus says it all for all of us:
Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ring out from the land
Asking peace of all the world
And good will to man
We can only hope that some sense of humanity still remains the fighting armies of all countries, and that some day we will see new examples of the brighter side of the human race. Here are a few good video's that combine the Snoopy cartoon with the Royal Guardsmen's tune "Snoopy's Christmas"
If you would like to learn more about the Christmas Truce , our friends as Wikipedia have a very informative article about what happened at Wikipedia - Christmas Truce
I hope everyone reading this is having a joyous and happy December leading up to Christmas this week and most importantly that there is peace in your life.
Peace, Love & Happiness
Vincent James @ LoveSongs.com
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