A Christmas the Establishment Didn't Particularly Like

An event that speaks to our ability to break the cycle...

Dec 24, 2024

In the frozen trenches of December 1914, as the unyielding tide of World War I thundered on, an extraordinary event unfolded. Christmas arrived on the Western Front, and the opposing armies were about to do something they hadn’t done before.

German and British soldiers, entrenched in a brutal war of attrition, paused their battle. Guns fell silent. Voices rose in song. Carols echoed. Soon enough, greetings were exchanged, cautious at first, then shouted from a distance. Next, unarmed soldiers began walking across No Man’s Land.

Hands that had gripped rifles extended in friendship. Small gifts passed from one side to the other: food, tobacco, alcohol, buttons, and hats. The artillery ceased, granting a reprieve long enough for burial parties to recover the fallen before joint services were held to honour the dead.

Letters from the front captured the surreal scenes. Nineteen-year-old Henry Williamson of the London Rifle Brigade wrote home:

"Dear Mother, I am writing from the trenches. It is 11 o'clock in the morning. Beside me is a coke fire, opposite me a 'dug-out' (wet) with straw in it. The ground is sloppy in the actual trench, but frozen elsewhere. In my mouth is a pipe presented by the Princess Mary. In the pipe is tobacco. Of course, you say. But wait. In the pipe is German tobacco. Haha, you say, from a prisoner or found in a captured trench. Oh dear, no! From a German soldier. Yes, a live German soldier from his own trench. Yesterday the British & Germans met & shook hands in the ground between the trenches, & exchanged souvenirs, & shook hands. Yes, all day Xmas day, & as I write. Marvellous, isn’t it?"

Another soldier, Rifleman J. Reading, described the moment to his wife:

"The Germans began to sing and shout in clear English. They called out, inviting us to meet them halfway across no-man’s land."

Then a football appeared: "The ball seemed to materialise from thin air. We cobbled together goals, and soon a game ensued, drawing in hundreds."

German soldier Kurt Zehmisch offered another perspective: "The English produced a soccer ball from their trenches. What ensued was a lively match. Astonishing and bizarre, it was a testament to Christmas, the celebration of Love, uniting foes as friends, if only briefly."

Roughly 100,000 troops participated in this unsanctioned ceasefire, known as the Christmas Truce. In many areas, it lasted until New Year’s Day. Immortalised in war diaries, letters, and photographs, the event constituted a dreamlike interlude where Christmas bridged enmity and soldiers became comrades, if only for a while.

Such a truce would never occur again in the remaining years of the war. Yet, for those who witnessed it, it stood as a powerful testament to humanity's potential, even in its darkest hours.

Every time I read this story, I wonder how different the political landscape might be if more people broke free from the influence of the mainstream—and the darker forces behind. The establishment so often succeeds in its mission because they divide us, pitting us against one another, fostering chaos, exploiting the resulting turmoil.

Create the problem, sell the solution—it’s a tale as old as time.

The Christmas Truce serves as an example of our ability to break that manipulation, even in the midst of brutal, brutal conflict.

Wishing you all a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

Most Popular 2024 Exclusives and Exposés:

The Stark Naked Brief.

A Christmas the Establishment Didn't Particularly Like

An event that speaks to our ability to break the cycle...

Discussion about this post