This Holiday Season it is important to remember the importance of the teachings of the Christmas spirit. A notable example of the effect of the Christmas spirit is the Christmas Truce. The Christmas Truce, was a series of unofficial ceasefires involving British and French soldiers and their German foes on the Western Front of World War One. This occurred in the weeks leading up to and on Christmas day of 1914. 

After months of brutal trench warfare, the young soldiers on both sides decided that they wanted a break for Christmas. Without official orders, many soldiers along the front simply stopped fighting each other. Oftentimes, British, French and German soldiers would lay down their arms and meet in no man’s land. No man’s land was the area between opposing trenches. No man’s land was an awful place filled with dead bodies and defensive fortifications. Here, soldiers would have conversations, sing christmas carols, gather their dead, conduct prisoner swaps and sometimes even play soccer together. Through these interactions, soldiers on both sides were able to have a cheerful Christmas celebration in the midst of such a dark time. 

Today, it is very important to remember the legacy of the Christmas Truce. The Christmas Truce reminds people of the true meaning of the Christmas Spirit. Even in such an awful place and time, these soldiers put aside their differences and enjoyed Christmas united as human beings. This is the ultimate example of how peace and love will always prevail. In the current day, the global tensions and hatred seem to be rising at alarming rates. In order to combat this, people must draw from the legacy of the Christmas Truce, to treat all people equally, respectfully and peacefully in honor of the Christmas Spirit.