There香蕉视频直播檚 an inspiring holiday story from the First World War, about the message of peace on Earth.

In late December of 1914, around five months after the start of the war, a series of unofficial ceasefires, now known as the Christmas Truce, took place along the Western Front in Europe.

Soldiers on both sides of the war put down their weapons for Christmas.

In some places, the soldiers mingled together, exchanging gifts, food and holiday greetings. Many accounts also had stories of football matches between the two warring sides, played in the no man香蕉视频直播檚 land area between the trenches.

There was also a more solemn tone as some used the truce as an opportunity to bury those who had died in battle.

The story is told as an example of peace on Earth during the holiday season, and it is meant to inspire others to follow the example of the warring soldiers, to set aside their differences and enjoy a special celebration together.

But the truce did not result in a permanent peace. The war later resumed. The soldiers who had been celebrating together returned to shooting at each other.

There are multiple accounts of the truce, recorded by soldiers on both sides of the conflict. How did these men feel when the fighting resumed? And for those who survived the war, what did they feel when they remembered this truce?

In the following years, similar widespread Christmas ceasefires did not occur, and there were strongly worded messages from higher-ups, forbidding their soldiers from participating in any similar event.

If the Christmas Truce of 1914 had resulted in a permanent ceasefire rather than a temporary truce, the rest of the 20th century and beyond could have been remarkably different.

The First World War lasted more than four years and resulted in more than 10 million military deaths, more than 10 million civilian deaths and more than 20 million people wounded.

The Treaty of Versailles, at the end of that war, was a significant factor in the Second World War, from 1939 to 1945. That war was the deadliest conflict in recorded history, and even today, close to 80 years after the end of the war, families around the world still have stories about the toll they experienced personally from the war.

After the Second World War, the Cold War between the United States and the Soviet Union resulted in a state of global tension that lasted until the early 1990s. Some of the aftereffects of the Cold War can still be felt.

Other wars and armed disputes are continuing today.

The Russo-Ukrainian war, which began in 2014 and escalated in 2022, shows no sign of ending. The open war between Israel and Hamas erupted late in 2023 and is still ongoing, the latest of many conflicts in the region.

These conflicts and others around the world show no sign of coming to an end.

The Christmas Truce of 1914 did not bring the First World War to an end. Still, for a short time, soldiers on opposing sides in a war were able to set down their weapons and enjoy some time together.

Perhaps someday there will be a way to achieve something greater, something more permanent than the Christmas Truce of 1914.

The calls for peace on Earth are echoed each year around Christmas. Perhaps some day this hope will be realized, for more than a brief Christmas truce.

John Arendt is the editor of the Summerland Review.