The First Christmas Day, by Frederic Villiers (1851–1922). 1915. Source: Villiers 39.
Villiers himself gives the best record of this brief and unexpected lull in hostilities, when two soldiers look wonderingly at the festive advance. Light shines from the lantern on their puzzled faces, a weapon is lowered, and the full futility and tragedy of war is momentarily acknowledged in a recognition of the two sides' common ancestory and shared humanity: “We are Saxons, you are Anglo-Saxons, we are of the same kidney...”:
The Christmas of 1914 on the Western Front will always be a memorable one in the history of the past war.
In many sectors of the front line trenches hostilities were stopped on Christmas Eve, especially where the opposing forces consisted of Saxons. The cry from the enemy was “We are Saxons, you are Anglo-Saxons, we are of the same kidney. Let us have a good time.”
When darkness set in, mysterious colored lights flittered above the enemy’s entrenchments and presently moved forward towards our lines. And soon we found that unarmed men with Japanese lanterns were up to our entanglements wishing to cease strife and to fraternize.
Cigars, cigarettes and drinks were exchanged, and mouth organs, jews-harps and sundry musical instruments were indulged in to give a touch of gaiety to the proceedings. But that night was the last of its kind. German frightfulness the succeeding year stopped any spirit of cordiality during the subsequent Christmas days of the war. [41]
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Bibliography
Villiers, Frederic. Days of Glory: the sketch book of a veteran correspondent at the front. New York: George H. Doran, 1920. Internet Archive, from a copy in the State Library of Pennsylvania. Web. 28 April 2025.
Created 28 April 2025