by Matthias from Berlin asks Santa about the 1914 Christmas Truce, learns about the Spree River, and hears the German side of the remarkable wartime story
Dear Santa, my name is Matthias and I am ten years old. I live in Berlin, Germany, where my opa says our city has been rebuilt and reunited so many times that it has learned to carry its history very carefully.
Dear Matthias, your opa is right, and I have watched Berlin carry that history with real thoughtfulness for a very long time.
Santa, I have three questions.
My first question is, do you know about the Christmas 1914 truce? My history teacher mentioned German soldiers were involved too, and I wanted to understand that part properly.
I do, Matthias, and German soldiers played a genuine part in that remarkable moment. On Christmas Eve 1914, soldiers on both sides of the front, including many German troops, began singing carols across the lines, and by the next morning, some had crossed into no man’s land to exchange small gifts, share photographs, and even play football together, before the war sadly resumed.
My second question is about our river. My teacher says the Spree River runs right through the middle of Berlin. Is that true?
It is, Matthias. The Spree flows through the heart of Berlin, past many of its most important historic sites, and flying along its path each Christmas Eve, city lights reflecting on the dark water, is a quiet, thoughtful part of my German route.
My third question is, why is it important that we still learn about the truce today, even though most of the soldiers involved have been gone for a very long time?
Because that single night proved something important, Matthias, that even people told to see each other as enemies can still recognize each other’s shared humanity when given the chance. Remembering that carefully helps each new generation choose kindness a little more readily, which I think is exactly the right lesson to carry forward every Christmas.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Matthias Weber
Berlin, Germany
P.S. Did the soldiers really play football that day?
They did, Matthias, by several careful historical accounts. I have always found that detail remarkable.
