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<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\nRauhaan vedottiin monilta tahoilta. Jopa paavi Benedict XV vetosi sotiviin hallituksiin ett\u00e4 aseet taukoaisivat enkelten lauluy\u00f6n\u00e4. Molemmat sotaan osallistuvat hallitukset kielt\u00e4ytyiv\u00e4t t\u00e4st\u00e4. Joulup\u00e4iv\u00e4n\u00e4 1914 saksalaiset joukot kuitenkin julistivat tulitauon koko p\u00e4iv\u00e4ksi. Kynttil\u00f6it\u00e4 sytyteltiin joukkohautoihin ja joulukuusiin ja laulettiin saksalaisia joululauluja. Britit vastasivat lauluihin laulamalla omiaan. Tykist\u00f6tuli oli tauonnut ja joku rohkea sotilas nosti p\u00e4\u00e4ns\u00e4 yl\u00f6s joukkohaudasta. Pian vastapuolenkin sotilaat nousivat yl\u00f6s ja osapuolet kohtasivat joukkohautojen v\u00e4lisell\u00e4 ei-kenenk\u00e4\u00e4n-maalla. Vaihdettiin lahjoja, jutusteltiin, ehk\u00e4 katseltiin valokuvia perheest\u00e4, poltettiin yhdess\u00e4 tupakkaa. Yhteisist\u00e4 jalkapallopeleist\u00e4kin on aikalaismainintoja. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joissain osissa l\u00e4nsirintamaa tulitauko kesti joulup\u00e4iv\u00e4n, joissain se kesti uuteenvuoteen saakka. Vastaavanlaisia tapauksia on mainittu my\u00f6s ranskalaisten ja belgialaisten sotilaiden miehitt\u00e4milt\u00e4 rintama-osuuksilta. Jonkun tarinan mukaan t\u00e4m\u00e4n joulurauhan j\u00e4lkeen osa sotilaista kielt\u00e4ytyi sotimasta heid\u00e4n tuntemiaan saksalaisia vastaan, jonka j\u00e4lkeen heid\u00e4t siirrettiin toisiin osiin rintamaa. En kuitenkaan tied\u00e4 pit\u00e4\u00e4k\u00f6 t\u00e4m\u00e4 t\u00e4ysin paikkansa. Useilla rintamaosuuksilla taistelut kuitenkin olivat pitki\u00e4 aikoja jopa niin v\u00e4h\u00e4isi\u00e4 ett\u00e4 kaatuneiden tai haavoittuneiden m\u00e4\u00e4r\u00e4t pysyiv\u00e4t niiss\u00e4 v\u00e4h\u00e4isin\u00e4. Monimutkaiset paikalliset tulitaukosopimukset alkoivat usein er\u00e4\u00e4nlaisesta “el\u00e4 ja anna toisten el\u00e4\u00e4”-ajatuksesta ja vaikkapa sopimuksesta ett\u00e4 ruokatauoilla ei ammuta. Lopulta sota kesti marraskuuhun 1918 asti, mutta Briteiss\u00e4 t\u00e4t\u00e4 joulun tulitaukoa muistellaan edelleen, sill\u00e4 se antaa toivoa. Toivoa siit\u00e4 ett\u00e4 ihmisiss\u00e4 on lempeytt\u00e4 ja hyvyytt\u00e4. Ja v\u00e4h\u00e4n joulun taikaa. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
Rauhallista ja lempe\u00e4\u00e4 joulua!<\/strong> This year has been unprecedentedly difficult in many ways. In addition to my personal challenges, the world has proven to be an incomprehensibly cruel, selfish, and insane place. All of this is reflected in the well-being of individuals and manifests itself outwardly in many forms of problems and disruptive behavior. People are not well and perhaps therefore are behaving badly. This has affected me to the point that I have lost hope in people. People have become more selfish, indifferent, and even hostile. That is why I now want to share a true story from over a hundred years ago. Hopefully, it will remind people of things they have forgotten about friendship, empathy, kindness, goodwill and selflessness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the summer of 1914, a war between the great powers began, which we have since come to know as the First World War. The initial spark for the war was a complex tangle of sabre-rattling between colonial powers, various peoples’ attempts at independence or union, and states’ attempts at expansion. All in all, it was a confusing mess that had been simmering beneath the surface for decades. The war had only been going on for a few months when the soldiers were already fed up. Conditions at the fronts had been challenging throughout the fall, and by Christmas 1914, everyone wanted to go home to their families. Peace negotiations had already taken place, but without result. On the Western Front between France and Germany, the trenches were in places so close to each other that the opposing sides could easily shout to each other. On quieter sections of the front, the opposing forces had already begun to fraternize with each other after a few weeks, chatting and even visiting each other’s trenches. They exchanged news and greetings. Food was distributed to the troops after sunset, which was usually the most peaceful time of day. Then the soldiers often entertained themselves and their enemies by singing in the evenings.<\/p>\n\n\n Many parties appealed for peace. Even Pope Benedict XV appealed to the warring governments to lay down their arms on the night of the angels’ song. Both governments involved in the war refused. On Christmas Day 1914, however, German troops declared a ceasefire for the whole day. Candles were lit in the trenches and on Christmas trees, and German Christmas carols were sung. The British responded by singing their own carols. The artillery fire had ceased, and a brave soldier raised his head from the trench. Soon, soldiers from the other side also rose, and the two sides met in the no man’s land between the trenches. They exchanged gifts, chatted, perhaps looked at photographs of their families, and smoked cigarettes together. There are also records of joint football games. <\/p>\n\n\n\n In some areas of the Western Front truce lasted whole day, in some others all the way to new years. Similar incidents have also been reported from sections of the front occupied by French and Belgian soldiers. According to one story, after this Christmas truce, some of the soldiers refused to fight against the Germans they knew, after which they were transferred to other parts of the front. However, I do not know if this is entirely true. In many sections of the front, the fighting was so light for long periods of time that the number of casualties remained low. Complex local ceasefire agreements often began with a kind of “live and let live” principal, for example, an agreement not to shoot during meal breaks. This war lasted all the way till November 1918, but in Britain, this Christmas truce is still remembered today, because it gives hope to people. Hope that people still have gentleness and goodness in them. And little bit of Christmas magic. T\u00e4m\u00e4 vuosi on ollut jollain tapaa ennenn\u00e4kem\u00e4tt\u00f6m\u00e4n raskas. Henkil\u00f6kohtaisten haasteideni lis\u00e4ksi maailma on osoittautunut k\u00e4sitt\u00e4m\u00e4tt\u00f6m\u00e4ll\u00e4 tavalla julmaksi, itsekk\u00e4\u00e4ksi ja mielipuoliseksi paikaksi. Kaikki t\u00e4m\u00e4 heijastuu yksil\u00f6iden hyvinvointiin ja n\u00e4kyy ulosp\u00e4in monenlaisina ongelmina ja h\u00e4iri\u00f6k\u00e4ytt\u00e4ytymisen\u00e4. Ihmiset voivat pahoin ja ehk\u00e4 sen johdosta k\u00e4ytt\u00e4ytyv\u00e4t huonosti. Se on vaikuttanut niin ett\u00e4 olen menett\u00e4nyt toivoni ihmisiin. Ihmisist\u00e4 on tullut entist\u00e4… <\/p>\n
Toivottavasti viihdyitte joulukalenterin parissa j\u00e4lleen kerran.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2013\/11\/inenglish.gif?resize=214%2C100\")
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I wish you all peacefull and gentle holiday season!<\/strong>
Hopefully you have once again enjoyed the Christmas calendar in the blog.<\/p>\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/christmas25_5.jpg?resize=692%2C1024\")
This paper butterfly and another one (not in the photo) is made by 100 years old war veteran, Kalevi Hakala from Suodenniemi. He’s also sent couple of them for our former president Sauli Niinist\u00f6 and his spouse Jenni Haukio. I will keep these as a memento of Finnish perceverance and wish that no-one ever again has to experience those things our war veterans were forced to encounter during the war. <\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/christmas25_1.jpg?resize=614%2C1024\")
Our tree is larger than before, because our over 20 years old tree decided to quite. These modern trees have hinges for the branches, but the old one didn’t. The metal bars on the branches were starting to snap and the branches started to fall off, so we had to retire it. <\/em><\/strong><\/figcaption><\/figure><\/div>\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.evildressmaker.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/12\/christmas25_3.jpg?resize=639%2C1024\")
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