The Christmas Truce of 1914

The Night Enemies Stopped the War In the middle of a war, enemy soldiers climbed out of their trenches. Not to fight. To shake hands. This really happened, on Christmas Eve, 1914, in the First World War. The British and German trenches were so close, the soldiers could hear each other talk. That night, the British saw lights on the German side. Small Christmas trees, with candles. Then they heard singing. Silent Night, in German. The British sang back. Then someone shouted: you no shoot, we no shoot. One by one, men climbed out, with no weapons. They shook hands in no man's land. They swapped chocolate, cigarettes and buttons. They showed each other photos of their families. In some places, they even played football together. For a few hours, the war just stopped. Remember it. In the middle of a war, enemy soldiers climbed out of their trenches. Not to fight. To shake hands.