Some Christmas songs are joyful, some are sad, and some are both.....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sJi41RWaTCs

That is one of my most favorite Christmas stories, nortonkevin and a really beautiful song.

One song that really touched me was on an old show called Hollywood Palace.
The cast of Hogan's Heroes were on it and "Klink" & "Shultz" sang Silent Night or "Stille Nacht" in it's original language..German. That was followed by "LeBeau" singing a song.
I always found it ironic, Robert Clary (LeBeau) playing that part in Hogans as he was actually held in a camp during the holocaust.

All the while, those men were in the trenches.

This is the clip, but it's buried. First there is a commercial for an old camera with flash bulbs...lol It's part of someone's playlist and the next clip will play automatically, so close it after if your not into Andy Williams anyway..lol

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWxgo6WhABg

Just a little background of the song
http://www.german-way.com/stille.html

That's a very cool Christmas history lesson Stephanie, Thanks

Well...you started it! LoL

Earlier this week, I sat through Band of Brothers so that time in history is pretty present in my mind right now.
I found myself later thinking about that story about both sides calling a truce on Christmas and here you post a song about it.

Awesome! (and thank you as well...it gave me goosebumps)

(This doesn't have anything to do with it, but my favorite line from the "Home Alone" films is when "Kevin" says : "Another Christmas in the trenches" I say it at least twice during the Holidays... just as we head in to greet "the families" and right after the cats knock the tree over and I have to "dig in" and get it all put back together )

This aspect of Christmas makes my job very busy during the holidays:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g710Rb1f9jU

Now you are in my country Kevin . Flanders fields are in Belgium . I have visited that place for several times . There are verry much cemetrys with thousends of soldiers died in that crazy war . http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQI-7UOG ... re=related http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8rbnfur ... re=related

Thanks for posting those very moving videos, Guitarman.....I'm learning alot more about that song from you guys.....

this post made me think of one of my favorite songs by Garth Brooks
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1szsQKHW9R8
of course that song isn't really accurate since the battle of belleau wood took place in June and the Christmas truce was on Christmas eve.
But the song is still powerful and gets the point across

Here is a cute Christmas carol about our beloved animated beagle, in fact this character is the subject in every song that this sixties psychedelic band writes about

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTXSl6QGqUw

This song, "Christmas In The Trenches" by John McCutcheon, is a true story. I don't know if it was the same instance but a German friend of ours, whose grandfather was in the Kaiser's army during WWI, told us how his grandad played soccer with "the enemy" during their own self-created truce at Christmas. I can't listen to the song without getting a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s9coPzDx6tA

i saw a bumper sticker...actually, i saw an unusually loud sweater
which lead me to see a bumpersticker that said (something like)

"war doesn't decide who is right
but who is left"

Captain Zap wrote:

"This song, "Christmas In The Trenches" by John McCutcheon, is a true story."


You're right Zap, it is an amazing song/story, made all the more incredible because it's true. Around the globe, people are a lot more alike than they are different, and I feel very sorry for the unfortunate ones who find themselves in the position of having to kill or be killed by folks who are basically the same as themselves, wanting the same things, like peace and happiness for their families, having to kill or be killed by people with whom they have no grievance. There is a special place in Hell or whatever awaits us for the ones who start these wars and then send others to fight them.
Refer to the link on the first post of this topic to watch John McCutcheon perform this beautiful song live.