Today, the news is filled with talk of division. For every person, it seems, there is an enemy, someone for whom the very existence of an opposing viewpoint is cause for anger. Some call words "violence," and others call violent rioting "peaceful protesting." We think this level of division is unprecedented, and that nothing can bring us together.
But there is so much that we have forgotten. History shows us that division isn't new, and it isn't insurmountable. Athens and Sparta fought for thirty years after coming together to vanquish the mighty Persians. France and Britain fought a war that lasted a hundred years, and even in our own country, the bloodiest war we ever fought happened on our own soil. Division is nothing new.
In the winter of 1914, British and German troops faced each other across trenches gouged into the earth. Between them lay a No Man's Land, hundreds of yards of scorched, pockmarked earth riddled with craters and inhabited only by the dead and the rats who fed on them. The war had been raging for five months. Both sides were tired, cold and, short on food and ammunition.
On Christmas Day, a miracle happened.
Troops on both sides of the line left their trenches and ventured out into No Man's Land. Instead of shooting, British and German troops shook hands, sang carols, and exchanged gifts. Some of them played soccer. They arranged prisoner swaps, and buried their dead. In some places on the front, this miracle only lasted for a day, but in some places, it didn't end until January 1st. One German Officer, a man named Kurt Zemisch, described the experience. "How marvelously wonderful, yet how strange it was. The English officers felt the same way about it. Thus Christmas, the celebration of Love, managed to bring mortal enemies together as friends for a time."
Christmas is a celebration of love, even in this time of division and fear. It is something that we as a people can still agree on. Thinking of the men in those trenches, I propose we have a Christmas Truce, just like the one on that cold day in 1914. So, whether you are on the left or the right, whether you speak Spanish or English or Chinese, pro-life or pro-choice, vaccinated or not, I wish you a day of joy, peace, and comfort. Let's put down our rifles and get out of the trenches. It might only last for a day, but that one day will be a good one. On that day, we can celebrate love. A miracle, just like the one that happened on that day in 1914, and as many believe, like the one that happened two thousand, twenty-one years ago in the town of Bethlehem.
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays, my friends.