On Christmas Eve, The Soldiers Decided to Party
Despite the Officer’s best efforts to quash the soldier’s palling around, the Germans and English troops became more and more friendly over the month leading up to Christmas. They often tossed newspapers and cigarettes to one another over the lines.
Leading up to Christmas, the troops were receiving gifts of scarves, gloves, pipes, cigarettes, and so much more from donations and family members. The English princess, Mary, wanted to give every man a gift, but she wouldn’t have enough money from her own personal allowance. So, she raised money from British citizens for her “gift fund”. She petitioned to the British citizens, “I want you now to help me to send a Christmas present from the whole of the nation to every sailor afloat and every soldier at the front. I am sure that we should all be happier to feel that we had helped to send our little token of love and sympathy on Christmas morning, something that would be useful and of permanent value, and the making of which may be the means of providing employment in trades adversely affected by the war.”
After raising the funds, she sent every English soldier a brass snuff box that was engraved with her image, chewing tobacco, a carton of cigarettes, and photos of the king and queen. The German soldiers got a box of cigars from the Keiser and a pipe with an image of the crowned prince. Then, of course, some of the men got care packages with chocolate, letters, cards, hand-knit scarves, gloves, and other presents from their friends and family.
On Christmas Eve, the weather was finally beautifully calm, and snow laid on the ground. German soldiers set up tiny Christmas trees above their trenches, and began to sing Silent Night. The English soldiers took out their binoculars, and spotted the lights in the distance. At first, they thought this might be some kind of attack, until they heard the singing. Lieutenant Sir Edward Hulse ordered his men to sing as well, only louder and stronger than the Germans. They countered with their own carols, and the two would go back and forth, as if they were battling through song. Eventually, the two sides sang all in unison, and they truly were able to have a “silent night” in peace. The next morning, a single brave soldier came out waving a newspaper as an impromptu white flag, which was a sign of peace. At first, the soldiers were cautious, of course. They thought that this might be a trap.
Slowly and cautiously, the soldiers began to stand up and slowly make their way towards one another, with their arms raised. Finally, they were able to shake hands with one another and finally meet these men that they had been so distant and yet strangely intimate with for all of that time. The English soldiers were sent thousands of cigarettes for Christmas, and of course, not every man smoked. During the party, the men traded gifts with one another, especially if they were sent something more useful, like an extra warm blanket. Some men who were once barbers decided to give out free haircuts and shaves to the men who needed it. The two sides played football (that’s soccer, for Americans reading this story), and let out their competitive spirit in sport, instead of fighting. They could hear the battles still raging on in the distance, however, and eventually had to return to their post, knowing that they would have to go back to battle with one another the next day.