When the War Stopped Singing

Back with This Day, That Year we get Merry. On December 24, we return to one of the strangest moments in modern warfare. In the frozen trenches of World War I, enemies laid down their weapons, sang carols, traded gifts, and briefly reclaimed their humanity. This episode explores what really happened during the Christmas Truce of 1914, how it’s been mythologized, and why this fragile pause still matters when we talk about war, empathy, and obedience today.