Bryan Laprise
Christmas is a time of joy and family. But how was Christmas celebrated when there wasn't joy and family? How was Christmas celebrated when people lived in a period of worry and uncertainty, separated from their family, wondering when, or if, they'll ever see them again? Today, here, we don't have to worry about that. But a bit more (and a bit less) than 100 years ago, that was the reality for Canadians. Celebrating Christmas while making sacrifices for the war effort. World War One and Two had an enormous impact on everyone's way of life, from the soldiers to the civilians, and Christmas was part of that.
During World War One, the first one of its kind, people back home were encouraged to buy useful things as gifts. Shops had all sorts of tools that could be sent to soldiers. Additionally, wallets, gloves, pipe sets and watches were gifts that were sent to loved ones on the front. For many children, military-themed toys were at the top of their list; soldiers, guns and uniforms. Cigarettes were in high demand, as they were said to be the "fuel of the British army".
On the battlefield, on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, an unofficial truce was formed, stopping the battle. They sang carols and exchanged gifts such as food, cigarettes and tobacco. Games of football even broke out! Later on, some soldiers even refused to fight after "bonding with the enemy". Field Marshal Sir John French, a British commander-in-chief's wife, asked women in England to knit some 250,000 mufflers, which are used to protect the neck from the cold, and post them to soldiers. The Royal Family successfully delivered 355,000 boxes filled with chocolate, sweets, cigarettes and tobacco to men on the field. The British troops even shot off fireworks on Christmas Eve. There is no evidence saying there were other truces of this sort after 1914.
Things were different during World War Two. Celebrations often had to be scaled-down because of shortages and restrictions and were often held in shelters. Between September and November of 1940, London had been bombed for 57 consecutive nights, so for many people, their Christmas was spend in an air-raid shelter. However, this didn't stop people from celebrating and decorating. Many used old newspapers to make garland as well as holly and other greenery to decorate the house. Even the Ministry of Food made recommendations on how to make simple, effective decor, such as using holly to add "Christmassy sparkle" to pudding, and dipping greenery into solutions of epsom salt for a frosted effect. The next year the British government established that no retailer could wrap anything with paper, making keeping gifts a surprise difficult.
Some of today's biggest holiday hits date back to times of war. Think of White Christmas, I'll be Home for the Holidays, Happy Holidays and Let it Snow! Let it Snow! Let it Snow!
Hopefully knowing how people celebrated Christmas without all we have now, without the peace we have now, you will be even more grateful this holiday season.
_____________________________________________________________________________
References
Research for this article was done by Valerie Papillon
Castelow, E. (n.d.). A World War Two Christmas. Historic UK. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.historic-uk.com/CultureUK/Christmas-in-World-War-Two/
History Extra. (2019, December 24). 10 ways Christmas was celebrated during the First World War. History Extra. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.historyextra.com/period/first-world-war/how-christmas-celebrated-during-ww1-wartime/
Imperial War Museums. (n.d.). How Britain Celebrated Christmas During The Second World War. Imperial War Museums. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.iwm.org.uk/history/how-britain-celebrated-christmas-during-the-second-world-war#:~:text=Christmas%201940%20took%20place%20in,Art.IWM%20ART%20LD%201899
National Army Museum. (n.d.). A First World War Christmas. National Army Museum. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.nam.ac.uk/explore/christmas-ww1#:~:text=In%20the%20trenches%20on%20Christmas,of%20football%20even%20broke%20out
National WWI Museum and Memorial. (n.d.). Christmas During World War I. National WWI Museum and Memorial. Retrieved December 4, 2022, from https://www.theworldwar.org/learn/about-wwi/christmas-during-world-war-i
Thorne, S. (2022, December 21). A merry little Christmas: The wartime boom in holiday songs. Legion Magazine. Retrieved December 6, 2022 from https://legionmagazine.com/en/a-merry-little-christmas-the-wartime-boom-in-holiday-songs/
Comments