Merry Christmas to all my loyal readers! And Joyeux Noel! I thought I would share the most Christmasy scene in war movie history. It comes from "Joyeux Noel" which is a movie inspired by the famous Christmas truce. The scene is totally fictional, but still great. I am including my write-up on the facts about the truce so you can compare the movie to the actual event.
THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE
It was Christmas eve on the Western Front in France in 1914. The Germans were singing “Silent Night” and when the song drifted over to the British, they joined in. After the song ended, a German stood up and waved his arms above the trench. No Tommy shot at him so this emboldened some of the Germans to come out into no man’s land unarmed. They called out “Merry Christmas”. Some Brits cautiously joined them. Hands were shaken and gift were exchanged. Carols were sung. This type of interaction occurred at several places on the front. In one case, the Scots played a soccer match with the Germans. According to legend, the Scots won because they didn’t wear underwear under their kilts and when the wind kicked up, the Germans would be distracted and the Scots would score. This was the only Christmas that this camaraderie happened. When the Germans heard about this unacceptable humanity, they put an end to it.
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