I read about it for the first time today, result: goosebumps.
The Christmas Truce & Flanders Peace Field Project
Albert Einstein captured the spirit of the Christmas truce when he said:
The Christmas Truce & Flanders Peace Field Project
On Christmas Eve 1914 the guns fell silent and, as darkness descended, British soldiers heard the sounds of Christmas carols rising from the German lines. The British ranks responded, first by applause and cheering, and then by singing themselves.
Being curious, some soldiers raised their heads above the trenches. In the distance they could see the glow of candles on small Christmas trees. German
heads were also seen peering above the trenches. No shots were fired. Some soldiers raised their heads higher. Shoulders, trunks and entire bodies soon
stood above the trenches.
Soldiers on both sides began to inch closer and eventually met at the heart of No Man’s Land, poignantly surrounded by their fallen comrades, frozen rigid by, and clothed in, frost. They shook hands, exchanged gifts and drinks, swapped cap badges and buttons, and showed one another photographs of their families and loved ones.
This extraordinary encounter continued throughout Christmas Day, during which the dead were buried. Contemporary correspondence and reports from the period suggest that a football was produced and a game of soccer between German and British soldiers was played with the Germans emerging 3-2 winners.
Albert Einstein captured the spirit of the Christmas truce when he said:
Nothing will end war unless the people themselves refuse to go to war.