In 1914, World War I was destroying Europe. Hundreds were dying every day. But on Christmas that year, the Germans ceased fire, hung candles on trees, and sang German Christmas carols. The English and French troops responded not with shells or shrapnel, but by quietly beginning to also sing. That one day in 1914, the fighting stopped. The two sides climbed up out of the trenches, and huddled together by the fires exchanging whatever rations they had as gifts. There are even reports of the two sides playing football together. Obviously, this whole deal was frowned upon by the higher military powers, but nevertheless, the two sides remained peaceful through Christmas night, and in some places, even until New Years Day. That's what Christmas is all about. Peace on Earth and good will to men, not expensive presents and sales. Like Bing Crosby said in his song, “That Christmas Feeling”, “What a blessed place the world would be, if we had that Christmas feeling all year.”
Ok, so let's recap. One, Christmas is too commercial. Two, People ditch the real meaning of Christmas for this media-made overly commercial alternative. But why does this happen? During the long time between December one year and November the next, people just decide that they don't want to be civil to each other anymore, and Christmas slowly gets pushed to the back of everybody's heads. If we just kept that Christmas spirit all year long, this wouldn't be a problem. Everyone would get along all year, and there wouldn't be a need for the lords-a-leaping or the drummers drumming to get us in the spirit of Christmas. But how can we keep that Christmas spirit all year long? This proves to be difficult for everyone. Even after the Christmas treaty, the troops quickly went back to shooting and dropping chemical bombs on each other. One way we could do this would be by keeping our Christmas lights up all year long. While some people find this to be really annoying, a few Christmas lights can go a long way. They give you that feeling that Christmas is just around the corner, even when it's July. Eventually, it would always look like Christmas, making people believe it actually was Christmas. It would also reduce the number of deaths each year that result from falling off the roof. It's just the little things like this that could help to make every day feel like Christmas.
You see, if everyday felt like Christmas, there would always be a Christmas treaty. The world would be a much more peaceful place, and there wouldn't be a need to suddenly act good around Christmas to get the present you've wanted all year. The stores wouldn't be inclined to use sales to get people to spend large amounts of money every winter, and people would begin to realize that Christmas isn't about the presents, but about the time we spend with others. I leave you with the words of Mr. Crosby, “What a blessed place the world would be, if we had that Christmas feeling all year.”
