Christmas Truce

It was late on Christmas Eve day a century ago, just a few months into the Great War, when British soldiers heard singing, and while they may not have recognized the words…”Stille Nacht, heilige Nacht, Alles schläft; einsam wacht…” the tune was familiar and its recognition led them to join the Christmas song in their own English language. This was the beginning of what has become known as the Christmas Truce. On that special, holy night an extraordinary grace showed itself among the rats, cold, snow, and deprivation to men living and spending Christmas in a World War I trench. The Christmas Truce would stand out as a symbol of hope to men weary of life in the trenches, of peace to men growing ever tired of a young war, and conjure memories of Christmas’ past.  Showing that miracles exist even in the most dire of situation, most historians now believe that the Christmas Truce was not one single event along the northern front in Belgium that may have spread down the line, but rather that these grace filled moments originated independently in many different places. Some lasted a day, some lasted a week or more. These grace-filled moments in a horrendous war would show the “better angels” of man’s nature. This post is not to recount the history of these occurrences, but rather is to focus on a new developing conflict due to an advertisement playing in England this holiday season.

Sainsbury advertisement Jim and Otto

The Sainsbury Grocery store chain in England has a three minute 40 second advertisement, which would certainly test the sound bite attention span of many Americans, that started playing in England on November 12.  As of December 4, the You Tube video had over 13.7 million hits. Apparently, these rather long advertisements are rather common in England during this time of year. The British “Advertising Standards Authority” has received many complaints about the ad, with the main complaint being that it is promoting a company through war. Sainsbury worked with the Royal British Legion to produce what they believe to be an accurate account of one event that occurred along the northern front that night and into the next day. Some of the most biting criticisms came from a columnist in England, Charlie Brooker, who wrote “It’s all very poignant, if you mentally delete the bit where a supermarket logo hovers over the killing fields, which you can’t.” He further goes on to suggest that (in Sainsbury’s view) “it would have been a great source of comfort for them to know their noble sacrifice would still be honoured a century later, in an advert for a shop.” 

Drawing of a soccer match during the Christmas Truce

I tend to look at it differently. If an advertisement, with its main prop as a candy bar in a blue wrapper (which is being sold in England to benefit the Royal British Legion) can kindle or rekindle the memory of that special moment of sharing,and peace amid the horror of war, perhaps we are better for it. The soldiers shared a game of soccer, shared pictures of loved ones, and of course the English soldier gave the chocolate bar he received to his German counterpart.  One does not know it is a commercial until the very end when Sainsbury title appears. Small acts of kindness are part of humanity, and the small acts of sharing portrayed in the ad show that at one point during the war a peace was had. It may have been only for one day, but it nonetheless was present. Can there ever be too much kindness?

WWI Trench in the advertisement

This is not the first time the Great War has been used for gain. The cartoonist Charles Shultz, creator of “Peanuts” had Snoopy dream about fighting the Red Baron. Likely borrowing from the idea of the real Christmas Truce of 1914 a pop group from Florida called the “Royal Guardsmen” created a song still heard among many Christmas Carols on the radio today…

News Article on the Christmas Truce

...Snoopy vs the Red Baron

O Tannenbaum, O Tannenbaum,
Du kannst mir sehr gefallen!

The news had come out in the First World War
The bloody Red Baron was flying once more
The Allied command ignored all of its men
And called on Snoopy to do it again.

Was the night before Christmas, 40 below
When Snoopy went up in search of his foe
He spied the Red Baron, fiercely they fought
With ice on his wings Snoopy knew he was caught.

Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ring out from the land
Asking peace of all the world
And good will to man

The Baron had Snoopy dead in his sights
He reached for the trigger to pull it up tight
Why he didn't shoot, well, we'll never know
Or was it the bells from the village below.

Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ringing through the land
Bringing peace to all the world
And good will to man

The Baron made Snoopy fly to the Rhine
And forced him to land behind the enemy lines
Snoopy was certain that this was the end
When the Baron cried out, "Merry Christmas, my friend!"

The Baron then offered a holiday toast
And Snoopy, our hero, saluted his host
And then with a roar they were both on their way
Each knowing they'd meet on some other day.

Christmas bells those Christmas bells
Ringing through the land
Bringing peace to all the world
And good will to man

Every US Citizen should know who this is.

In opposite trenches where men had fired bullets, and lobbed mortars at each other earlier in the day, a certain trait of humanity shown through in the trenches of Belgium on that one Christmas day. The power of one Christmas song, indicative of a commonality among conflict, drew men together that night.  Peace did not come to the world, but a little bit of peace in that war was welcomed by those who participated. For that one fleeting day, on the northern front there was some good will to man.  It may be unfortunate that it takes a commercial to inform or remind us of that event 100 years ago, but perhaps we are the better for having been informed.  Perhaps it will even lead us to a act of kindness, not unlike what Jim did for Otto.

As an aside, it is interesting to note that a video on the making of the Sainsbury ad has over 600,000 views.  

Images from Google Images.