Did you know that on one Christmas Day during World War I, German and British soldiers on the Western Front crawled out of their trenches, shook hands, shared cigarettes, and then played soccer for one peaceful hour, improvising when they didn’t have a proper ball by kicking jam jars and balls of straw? What an inspiring event, and how sad we can’t imagine anything like this occurring today. Apparently, what made the short truce possible was the fact that these particular Germans had worked in the UK as younger men and spoke the English language. And of course, they all loved Christmas.

Does anyone who knows the enemy ever really want to go to war? You can read more about the short Christmas truce of 1914 here. And here’s where you’ll find a whole book about it.