A Christmas Miracle in 1914

By: Michele K. Morris

Merry Christmas and Happy 2018 to each and every Heroes, Heroines and History reader.

I love this time of the year. People just seem happier—nicer. I’m not sure what it is that makes them that way.

I wish I knew.

I wish we could all get along as if it were Christmas every day of the year. But human nature keeps us at odds for an abundance of reason. I pray one day that will change.

Throughout history there are examples of people coming together at Christmas and making amends—at least for a moment in time.

Newspaper account of 1914 Christmas Truce

One of those Christmas miracles happened in 1914. During the first Christmas of WWI an unofficial truce took place in the middle of battle torn Europe.

One of the first known written accounts of a truce developing, was when an officer of the Royal Irish Rifles reported to headquarters that the Germans had “illuminated” their trenches, were singing songs, and wishing the opposing soldiers a happy Christmas. The British officers were guarded, but the soldiers were curious.

Soldiers during the Christmas Truce

Further down the battle lines, soldiers from both sides serenaded one another with Christmas carols. The German men sang Silent Night and the British, The First Noel. Soon, scouts were sent out to meet—very cautiously—in the shell-pocked, no-man’s land between opposing sides’ trenches. These few brave men exchanged whisky, cigars, and a message saying, in short, if we don’t fire at them, neither would they fire at us. Then the real miracle happened. Men came out of the dank, dark, battle trenches and exchanged names, traded gifts of cigarettes, candy and food, they played games together and sang. They had a Christmas party.

Playing soccer

Spontaneously, in other areas, the same types of trues were taking place. No one organized these truces. No one spread the word that troops could come together and observe the holiday. And in fact, many officers discouraged the truce. So, what made these men—who only hours before where shooting at each other—come together to celebrate Christmas, as friends, chums, mates or comrades? Was it tradition that brought them together or, perhaps a longing for family or home . . . We may never be able to explain it. It was truly miraculous.

During this week between Christmas and New Year’s Day, wouldn’t it be wonderful if we could come together like these men in 1914 and forget our differences? Forget that we were recently “shooting” at one another. Forget the political mess our world is in.

Change begins with one person. I’m going to put forth an effort this year to be a person who makes change happen, who makes a difference. Will you? Make the impossible happen. Make it Christmas all year long.

Blessings to each and every one of our amazing HHH readers, and may you all have a happy, healthy, and prosperous new year.

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 Multi award-winning author, Michele K. Morris’s love for historical fiction began when she first read Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House book series. She grew up riding horses and spending her free time in the woods of mid-Michigan. Married to her high school sweetheart, they are living happily-ever-after with their six children, three in-loves, and eight grandchildren in Florida, the sunshine state. Michele loves to hear from readers on Facebook, Twitter, and here through the group blog, Heroes, Heroines, and History at HHHistory.com.

The Christmas Truce of 1914

Merry Christmas to you from Jennifer Uhlarik! I hope you all are having a wonderful day with family and friends, and remembering the true meaning of this blessed season.

Perhaps some of you have already heard of the Christmas Truce of 1914, but I was so taken with the story that I thought I would share it with you. It’s such a wonderful piece of history, you can’t help but enjoy it, even if it’s not “new” to you. The story goes like this:

On Christmas Eve, just five months after the start of World War I, soldiers from both sides sat shivering in their respective trenches along the Western Front when the Germans began to sing Christmas carols. The familiar songs carried across the distance to the English, and they also began to sing. It’s said that in some places, soldiers brought out instruments to accompany the singing. Through the night, both German and English troops sang in their respective languages.

Soldiers mingling during the Christmas Truce of 1914.

By dawn on Christmas morning, a few brave Germans ventured out of their trenches to cross into no-man’s land and approach the Allied forces. At first, the English soldiers were wary, expecting a trick, but they saw that none of the opposing troops carried weapons. Only then did they crawl out of their trenches and step out to meet their fellow man.



Enjoying a moment of peace in the thick of war.

These troops converged between their respective sides, shook hands, talked, and even played a friendly game of soccer together. Having nothing other than what little they could carry with them, they exchanged cigarettes and chocolate as gifts. For a brief time, Allied and German soldiers met together in order to celebrate Christmas. It mattered not that later that day or the next they would return to fighting. For that one moment, they were at peace, staring into the eyes of their avowed enemies in order to experience a moment of true peace and harmony.

Please enjoy this brief depiction of the Christmas Truce of 1914 which I found online.

My wish for you this Christmas is that you will also experience true peace as you contemplate the birth of Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace. May you all be blessed today and all year through! Merry CHRISTmas!

Jennifer Uhlarik discovered the western genre as a pre-teen, when she swiped the only “horse” book she found on her older brother’s bookshelf. A new love was born. Across the next ten years, she devoured Louis L’Amour westerns and fell in love with the genre. In college at the University of Tampa, she began penning her own story of the Old West. Armed with a B.A. in writing, she has won five writing competitions and finaled in two other competitions. In addition to writing, she has held jobs as a private business owner, a schoolteacher, a marketing director, and her favorite—a full-time homemaker. Jennifer is active in American Christian Fiction Writers and lifetime member of the Florida Writers Association. She lives near Tampa, Florida, with her husband, teenaged son, and four fur children.