by Dino from Sarajevo asks Santa about the Christmas Truce, learns about Sarajevo’s role at the start of World War I, and hears why remembering history matters
Dear Santa, my name is Dino and I am ten years old. I live in Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, where my djed says something happened in our city a long time ago that changed the whole world, almost overnight.
Dear Dino, your djed is right, and I have carried the weight of that particular history for a very long time myself.
Santa, I have three questions.
My first question is, do you know about the Christmas Truce of 1914? My teacher connected it to something that started right here in Sarajevo.
I do, Dino, and your teacher made an important connection. The assassination in Sarajevo in June 1914 helped trigger the beginning of the First World War, and by that December, soldiers along parts of the front briefly stopped fighting on Christmas Eve, sharing songs and small gifts before the terrible conflict resumed.
My second question is about our city. My teacher says Sarajevo sits in a valley surrounded by mountains. Is that true?
It is, Dino. Sarajevo lies nestled in a valley, mountains rising steeply on nearly every side, giving the city a distinctive, dramatic setting. Flying into that mountain-ringed valley each Christmas Eve requires real care from the reindeer.
My third question is, why is it important to remember something that started such a difficult, painful chapter of history, right here in our own city?
Because understanding how such enormous consequences can follow from a single moment helps people everywhere value peace more carefully, Dino. Remembering history honestly, painful parts included, is how each new generation learns to choose kindness and caution a little more wisely.
Merry Christmas, Santa.
Your friend,
Dino Hadic
Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina
P.S. Do you fly slower over Sarajevo out of respect?
Every year, Dino. It would feel wrong not to.
