THE CHRISTMAS TRUCE

            In December of 1914 the Great War, as World War I was called, was still young.  (The United States would not enter this war until early in 1917.) The young men fighting had entered the war with enthusiasm. But it was not long before the enthusiasm faded as they watched their friends and fellow countrymen perish. Armies were equipped with repeating rifles, machine guns and a large assortment of artillery, all which tore chunks out of both sides. To protect themselves against all of this, British, French and Belgian soldiers were ordered to dig trenches which were hastily and poorly constructed. In severe weather, as the winter of 1914 was, the trenches caved in or filled with water and/or snow. Unprepared to withstand the cold and rain, the soldiers found themselves in a freezing mire of mud.

Along the front the enemy was no more than thirty to seventy yards away, close enough that those on each side could shout and be heard by their opponent. The men at the front could see indications of civilization in this area. Although badly damaged, villages were still standing; fields, though pitted with shell-holes, were still recognizable as fields. Many soldiers were farmers, and recognized the residue of crops grown in those fields.

            It was Christmas Eve. The German soldiers put Christmas trees in front of their trenches, lit by candle or lanterns. In the silence following the placement of the trees, a baritone voice clearly heard by both sides sang: Still nact, heilige nact . . .  Although the words were strange to the British soldiers, the melody was not. One started to sing with the German enemy, followed by others on both sides; Silent Night, Holy Night, All is calm, All is bright…. Two different languages singing the same song. Soon these two groups of soldiers, enemies in a war not of their making, were harmonizing Christmas songs across No Man’s Land.

After the singing came invitations  from both sides to come out of the trenches and visit. Hesitant at first, the soldiers started to come together in the field between their trenches. What were these young men thinking as they met their opponents who were as miserable as they were? No doubt there were men left in the trenches on both sides that had their rifles ready and aimed in case this was a trap. But it was not a trap. These were moments of rejoicing, of sharing of experiences, of celebrating Christmas as friends.

            Was this Truce only a myth told to pacify families at home? Did it really occur?  Apparently there have been diaries and papers written by men involved in this event, and there have been articles and books written contesting the pros and cons on the actuality of the story.

            Whether it was a myth or an actual event, the story of The Christmas Truce does bring out the good will and peace that one feels at this time of the year.  Perhaps, as we are busy finishing up our Christmas preparations, it would be good to reflect on those who are on the battlefield, fighting to preserve our freedoms as well as freedoms of others. And it  might be a good idea to do some harmonizing with those around us, singing traditional Christmas songs.

CHRISTMAS SHOPPING

Because this time of year can be hectic, let’s look at some positive things about the hustle and bustle of Christmas time. I love to walk through the mall during this time of the year and watch the people, listen to the music, and observe the little ones visiting with Santa. Even though every one is in a hurry, it seems there is a lot of cheerfulness out there. A lot of “Merry Christmas” greetings.

I enjoy riding around in the early evenings to see how people have decorated their homes and yards; some outlandish, some simple but all of them worth seeing.

The infectious excitement that is around children this time of year is delightful. We have our granddaughter, eight-year-old Sydney, spend a lot of time with us. She brings a child’s enthusiasm of Christmas into our home. She also understands the spiritual side of Christmas and likes to talk about that. Not long ago she came into the house with a bunch of rocks. Asking for a box, she spent an entire evening creating a crèche. It was so simple that it was beautiful. Oh what we can learn from children!

            I have a tendency to bring stress into this season by my procrastination. Not only do I hate shopping, but the thought of it makes me uncomfortable. I’d almost rather go to the dentist, notice I said almost. I have Scotch ancestors, so that is part of the problem as I like to hang onto any money that I have. And I don’t like to be pushed around in crowds like there are at Christmas time.

So this year I decided to set aside September and October for Christmas shopping or at least getting ideas. Besides that, I could do it in good weather and not have to worry about slick roads. Well, in making that decision I forgot that I usually spent a lot of September canning and October is spent trying to get the yard and garden cleaned up, plus we round up the cattle, separate and wean the calves. Those things take time and effort and energy. Plus I have a hard time getting into the Christmas buying spirit unless things are “looking a lot like Christmas.”

So here it is, almost Christmas and I’m still trying to figure out my Christmas shopping list. I’m trying to look back to what I’ve done previous years for ideas. One year I partially solved my shopping dilemma when I made a small book for my mother, with “coupons” she could use. These coupons included things like: taking her out to lunch; helping clean her kitchen cupboards; taking her to Utah to visit my brothers; basically spending time with her. I found, however, that I forgot to do a lot of them as I didn’t keep a record at home of just what I had given her on the coupons. Out of the twelve coupons, one for each month, I probably fulfilled five of them. So learn from my mistake: if you are going to give out hand-made coupons, keep a record of what you promise to do.

I’ve given gift cards to fast-food places to my teenage grandkids. That was easy shopping. But now most of the grandkids have grown past the teenage years, so that won’t work this year.

It’s almost too late to do a lot of sewing or knitting.

I really would like to put a lot of thought and care into each present I give. Facing reality, how much time do I have left for thought and care?

When I don’t have my Christmas shopping done, it makes it difficult me to relax. Perhaps the best gift I can give my family is to refrain from getting caught up in the busyness of the season, and instead enjoy the season for what it is – a time to celebrate the birth of the Savior..

ARE WE READY FOR WINTER?

      

Boy did winter come early this year. Of course, for a procrastinator like myself, as long as there are warm sunny days I can make myself believe that winter will stay away for quite a while. Therefore, I didn’t get my garden cleaned out like I needed to but did get the hoses put away.

            The farm work is about finished. Hay and straw is stacked and it looks like we have enough to see us through the winter, even  if we have another bad one. The one stack shuts off my view of the road to the east of our home. I like to stand at my kitchen window and watch that road for my family coming home from town, or coming from out of town. But that view is gone until spring.

The men have moved the equipment into the shed at the ranch, finished their fall planting of winter wheat, and now just have to check the cattle daily. The calves have been weaned though the cows are still at the ranch, but not for long. The guys have cleaned out the corrals and spread manure in the stubble fields.

The propane tank has been filled, so we will keep warm.

            I was looking in our pantry today, and I think we, too, are prepared to eat well throughout a hard winter. I’ve been canning and freezing produce since early summer, starting with rhubarb, strawberries, and ending with winter squash. I tried canning some new things this year – one is Swiss chard. Don’t know if we’ll like it or not, but we had such a big crop of it, I hated to see it wasted. I’ve got flour and sugar in, plus wheat to grind. And the freezer is full of meat along with the frozen fruit and vegetables.

            I remember as a child looking forward to spring when we could once again have a fresh green salad. Aren’t we blessed to have fresh fruits and vegetables available at the grocery stores all year long, to supplement our canned goods?

            We took our chickens to Boise to Chris & Asa, our daughter and son-in-law. They wanted some bigger chickens and I didn’t want to go through another winter with them. In order to keep the chickens comfortable, we would put small bales of straw up around the coop, plastic on the roof, and have a heat lamp on. With all of that done, we still had to unthaw their drinking water every morning.

AND, to get to the chicken coop we’d have to go down a decline and cross a small wooden bridge. Last winter when I took care of the chickens, I would side step down the small hill and across the bridge. I fell off the bridge a couple of times and ended up knee deep in snow. The fear of falling and hurting myself was always with me, actually the fear that if I did fall no one would look for me until supper time. Then it would probably be too late and I would be found frozen solid. So I’m glad to have the chickens in Boise.

All in all, I think we are close to being ready for winter both in the house and on the farm. That’s a good feeling!