Historical Christmas stories

The Christmas Truce of 1914

Something incredible happened on December 24, 1914. Soldiers from both sides put down their weapons, stepped out of their trenches and enemy really did meet enemy between the trenches.

Fighting on Christmas Day 1941 in Hong Kong

In the afternoon of December 25, 1941, orders came to cease fire, further resistance futile. The white flag was raised; the Governor had signed the surrender of the British Crown colony.

Christmas in Ortona

On December 25, 1943, it was Christmas in Ortona. In a bombed-out church at Santa Maria di Constantinopoli, members of the Seaforth Highlanders gathered in shifts for a Christmas dinner a few blocks from the fighting.

The little coat : Christmas 1944 in the Netherlands

During Christmas 1944, Canadian soldiers were helping defend the Allied lines in the Netherlands. They made a special gift for Sussie, a young Dutch girl they befriended.

NORAD tracks Santa

"Are you really Santa Claus?", a tiny voice asked. It was from a little girl in Colorado Springs. She was following directions in a Sears department store advertisement that the local newspaper had run.