In 1967, a new Christmas song was released that topped the charts in New Zealand and Austrailia. The song was called, "Snoopy's Christmas," inspired by Charles Schulz's Peanuts comic strips.
The song told the fictional story of Snoopy, Charlie Brown's mischievous yet lovable dog, who joined the Allied Command during World War 1. He encountered his arch enemy, the Red Baron, on a Christmas Day, and was fully prepared for battle. However, the Red Baron surprised Snoopy by withholding attacks and instead chose to peacefully celebrate Christmas with Snoopy. The song ended with the two characters parting ways fully aware that they will likely see each other in battle another day.
Snoopy and the Red Baron, of course, are fictional characters, but their actions in the song are based on a real event that happened during the first Christmas of World War 1: the Christmas Truce of 1914.
Christmas 1914 was met with grief, separation, and hardships across Europe due to the ongoing war between the Allies and Central Powers. The war officially began earlier that year in July, and many thought that it would be over by Christmas. When the holiday season arrived, it was clear that the war was going to persist for a lot longer than initially anticipated.
Soldiers across Europe had to accept the sad reality that they would be separated from their families over the 1914 holiday season. Some of the German soldiers coped by setting up Christmas trees on top of their parapets and singing Christmas songs from the cold, wet, miserable trenches.
Ceasefires were hastily created and agreed upon in sections of the front line. In one instance, as told in a video by Imperial War Museums, French and German soldiers went up to the barbed wires that separated them and exchanged champagne and cigars. In another instance, British men and German men came forward and took turns kicking a football around in a friendly manner. Men who had smuggled cameras into the trenches and were normally discouraged from taking photographs took the liberty of capturing this rare and unbelievable occasion. Some of those photos were sent to newspapers and were published alongside articles that highlighted the events of the day.
Along other parts of the front line, the ceasefires were not as celebratory. In some areas, a ceasefire was agreed upon so soldiers could bury their dead or repair their trenches. Other areas along the front line continued to fight, for the ceasefires were not universally agreed upon.
Commanders on all sides were extremely concerned about the ceasefires. They feared that they would undermine the war effort and cause soldiers to lose their fighting spirit. Other people believed that the soldiers who participated in the ceasefires acted honorably by fraternizing with the so-called "enemy."
Just as quickly as the Christmas Truce began, it came to an end. The truce only lasted for about two days at most, and orders from high ranking military leaders within all parties encouraged the brutality of the war to resume. Suddenly, the soldiers who were just caroling together, sharing cigars, or playing football together were back to killing one another from their respective sides. The time to look beyond political and social differences and acknowledge one another's humanity was over.
The war pressed on and became more cruel and unforgiving with the passage of time. Deadly poisonous gases and new vicious machinery were introduced to the battlefield. Years of brutal fighting took its toll on millions of people around the world and planted seeds for an even bigger war in the coming decades.
One could argue that the Truce of Christmas 1914 shows the naivety that soldiers possessed at the beginning of World War I. The soldiers could not imagine how gruesome the next several years would be. The shear destruction and horror that came after the Christmas Truce made soldiers less willing to engage with the "enemy" in friendly or peaceful ways, therefore making another Christmas Truce unlikely to happen again.
The Christmas Truce occurred 110 years ago, yet we can still learn a lot from this unusual moment. The Truce serves as a reminder that an act of kindness can be conducted even when compassion and love are lacking. We can see through the Truce how people are capable of inflicting pain and destruction in one moment and suddenly choosing peace in another. People can turn on each other extremely quickly.
Leaders have the power to influence how people treat one another. During the truce, many of the soldiers expressed a desire for the war to end, but they ultimatel continue fighting for their respective countries per their leaders' orders.
On November 11, 1918, World War I was officially ended. By that point, over 16 million people had died. Millions more lost their homes, endured poverty, experienced severe illnesses, and sustained life-altering injuries. The world certainly was not left unscathed by The Great War.
"Snoopy's Christmas" chose to show the Truce as evidence of how even in times of hatred, violence, and dehumanization, people are capable of demonstrating "goodwill towards men" during the holidays. True, the song is a highly romanticized perspective of the real Christmas Truce, but the message remains relevant.
As we enter the holidays, let us take time to reflect on what we have done to help our fellow man this year and give back to the community in whatever capacity we can. One small act may not seem like much, but it can cause great and powerful changes. It's like dropping a small pebble into a still pond. The pebble causes ripples of water to grow and spread across the once still waters. The pebble may not have changed the entire pond, but it made a difference.
Happy holidays, everyone.
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