On the third afternoon came a message from the Germans
"At midnight, our staff officers visit
And we must fire our automatic Pistolen
But we will fire higher
Nevertheless
Please, keep undercover"
At 11:00 p.m., Berlin midnight
We saw flashes going away
Into the air
Two days later, an army order came from GHQ
To the effect that men found fraternizing with the enemy
Would be court marshaled and
If found guilty, would suffer the death penalty
And again, in that place
The very lights soared over no-man's-land at night
And bullets cut showers of splinters from trees
And, sometimes, human flesh
And bone
So, hope
Sank into the mud again
"At midnight, our staff officers visit
And we must fire our automatic Pistolen
But we will fire higher
Nevertheless
Please, keep undercover"
At 11:00 p.m., Berlin midnight
We saw flashes going away
Into the air
Two days later, an army order came from GHQ
To the effect that men found fraternizing with the enemy
Would be court marshaled and
If found guilty, would suffer the death penalty
And again, in that place
The very lights soared over no-man's-land at night
And bullets cut showers of splinters from trees
And, sometimes, human flesh
And bone
So, hope
Sank into the mud again
At midnight
We heard laughing as we worked
We heard singing from the German lines, carols
The tunes of which we knew
I noticed a very bright light on a tall pole
Raised in their lines
Down opposite the East Lancs trench
In front of the convent
A Christmas tree
With lighted candles
Was set
On their parapet
The unreal moonlight life went on happily
Cries of "come on over, Tommy, we won't fire at you"
A dark figure approached me, hesitatingly
A trap?
I walked towards it with a bumping heart
"Merry Christmas, English friend"
We shook hands tremulously
We heard laughing as we worked
We heard singing from the German lines, carols
The tunes of which we knew
I noticed a very bright light on a tall pole
Raised in their lines
Down opposite the East Lancs trench
In front of the convent
A Christmas tree
With lighted candles
Was set
On their parapet
The unreal moonlight life went on happily
Cries of "come on over, Tommy, we won't fire at you"
A dark figure approached me, hesitatingly
A trap?
I walked towards it with a bumping heart
"Merry Christmas, English friend"
We shook hands tremulously
This is an excerpt
Of how the Christmas truce unfolded
According to Henry Williamson
A British army officer
Who was there
For weeks, we had lived in flooded trenches
The Germans were 80 yards away
Our trench was enfiladed
We lost many men
Shot by snipers
Night after night
Since the tailing off of the Battle of Ypres
We had toiled on the parapets
Filling sandbag with clay mud
Squelched through muddy lagoons of woodland tracks
Carrying rations, duckboards, pumps, and ammunition
We were volunteers
Rushed out to help General French's shattered expeditionary force
Of how the Christmas truce unfolded
According to Henry Williamson
A British army officer
Who was there
For weeks, we had lived in flooded trenches
The Germans were 80 yards away
Our trench was enfiladed
We lost many men
Shot by snipers
Night after night
Since the tailing off of the Battle of Ypres
We had toiled on the parapets
Filling sandbag with clay mud
Squelched through muddy lagoons of woodland tracks
Carrying rations, duckboards, pumps, and ammunition
We were volunteers
Rushed out to help General French's shattered expeditionary force
Christianity was like a giant vacuum cleaner in some sense
It certainly
Integrated itself with and layered itself on top of
Existing
Pagan
Ceremonies
Like the tree itself
The tree is a very interesting symbol
Because the tree is, is the tree in the garden of eden
That, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
And the Tree of Life
The tree for Christmas is mostly the Tree of Life
And the tree is also the structure that unites Heaven with Earth
And the lights on the tree
Symbolize
Or represent even
Illumination and the reemerge of, of light in the darkness
It certainly
Integrated itself with and layered itself on top of
Existing
Pagan
Ceremonies
Like the tree itself
The tree is a very interesting symbol
Because the tree is, is the tree in the garden of eden
That, the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil
And the Tree of Life
The tree for Christmas is mostly the Tree of Life
And the tree is also the structure that unites Heaven with Earth
And the lights on the tree
Symbolize
Or represent even
Illumination and the reemerge of, of light in the darkness
If you want to find a true folk religion in our culture
Look at the rites of Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Even before the beginning of Advent
Which was supposed to be a three-to-four-week fasting period
In preparation for the feast
(In preparation for the feast)
Streets are decorated for Christmas
The shops, littered with tinsel and festive display of gifts
And public address systems warble electronic carols
So that one is sick death of "Venite Adoremus"
Long before Christmas Day
Trees are already baubled and illumined in most homes
And as the big buildup proceeds
They're surrounded by those shiny packages
With shimmering ribbons
Which looked as if they held gifts for princes
Gifts for princes
Gifts for princes
Gifts for princes
Look at the rites of Santa Claus
Santa Claus
Even before the beginning of Advent
Which was supposed to be a three-to-four-week fasting period
In preparation for the feast
(In preparation for the feast)
Streets are decorated for Christmas
The shops, littered with tinsel and festive display of gifts
And public address systems warble electronic carols
So that one is sick death of "Venite Adoremus"
Long before Christmas Day
Trees are already baubled and illumined in most homes
And as the big buildup proceeds
They're surrounded by those shiny packages
With shimmering ribbons
Which looked as if they held gifts for princes
Gifts for princes
Gifts for princes
Gifts for princes