"I truly believe that if we keep telling the Christmas story, singing the Christmas songs, and living the Christmas spirit, we can bring joy and happiness and peace to this world."
- Norman Vincent Peale
I wanted to write about this before Christmas but I somehow lost track of time and before I knew it, I was sitting at my Grandparent's House unwrapping/giving out gifts!
I know I am going to sound so cliché.....but I LOVE CHRISTMAS!!! The day after Thanksgiving, I start playing Christmas music nonstop...and I find it hard to stop until Jan. 1st. I look forward to this all year....but not for the average reasons. To me, the way people treat/interact with one another at Christmas time is how it should be year round...let me explain a little more.
Just think about it...Everyone has a more generous and giving spirit, because 'Hey, it's Christmas."
The radio stations, TVs, Internet websites, Magazines, and Newspapers are all bombarding society with Christmas messages, those of Hope, Peace and Love for EVERYONE. Can you just imagine how our world would be if we were ALWAYS seeing images of Joy, Happiness and Harmony instead of those promoting Intolerance, Sex and Greed? The songs that are played over and over are essentially PRAISE songs to God...and they are played EVERYWHERE...not just on a Christian radio network. Yes, there are also the Christmas Classics about Santa and Frosty but they are mixed in with the worship songs and carols of the holiday season. It's not just our everyday life that is changed by the celebration of our Savior, but the PEACE of the season has even put a stop to a war.
Starting on Christmas Eve, many German and British troops sang Christmas carols to each other across the lines, and at certain points the Allied soldiers even heard brass bands joining the Germans in their joyous singing.
At the first light of dawn on Christmas Day, some German soldiers emerged from their trenches and approached the Allied lines across no-man's-land, calling out "Merry Christmas" in their enemies' native tongues. At first, the Allied soldiers feared it was a trick, but seeing the Germans unarmed they climbed out of their trenches and shook hands with the enemy soldiers. The men exchanged presents of cigarettes and plum puddings and sang carols and songs. There was even a documented case of soldiers from opposing sides playing a good-natured game of soccer.
Some soldiers used this short-lived ceasefire for a more somber task: the retrieval of the bodies of fellow combatants who had fallen within the no-man's land between the lines.
The so-called Christmas Truce of 1914 came only five months after the outbreak of World War 1, in Europe. I'm sure the soldiers on the Western Front did not expect to celebrate on the battlefield, but even a world war could not destroy the Christmas spirit.
Amazing right? Only God could STOP A WAR, and bring ENEMIES TOGETHER AS FRIENDS to celebrate Christmas and the birth of Jesus....I am constantly AMAZED by his GLORY!!
Of course, all that has changed in modern times. Today, soldiers kill at great distances, often with the push of a button and a sighting on a computer screen. Even where soldiers come face to face, their languages and cultures are often so diverse as to make friendly communication unlikely. No, we should not expect to see another Christmas Truce. Yet still what happened on that Christmas of 1914 may inspire the peacemakers of today—for, now as always, the best time to make peace is long before the armies go to war.
My personal goal this next year is to treat EVERY SINGLE day like it is Christmas...I'm not saying that I will be handing out candy canes in April or anything.....but that I will TRY to treat those I encounter with Understanding, Joy, Respect, and Love in my heart...
"My idea of Christmas, whether old-fashioned or modern, is very simple: loving others. Come to think of it, why do we have to wait for Christmas to do that?"
- Bob Hope
"What is Christmas? It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future. It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal, and that every path may lead to peace."
- Agnes M. Pahro
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