Happy Christmas
The photograph that you are looking at was taken in 1914. In it, British and German soldiers are standing together in no man’s land on the Western Front on Christmas Day. On that day, hostilities were halted and the two sides fraternized in the spirit of the season before returning to their respective sides and attempting to annihilable one another.
Rather than write something high minded about the holidays, about the birth that Christmas commemorates and what the child, as a man, radically stood for in the face of aggression, I wanted to make a very plain statement, and the above photograph demonstrates it well enough.
We are not at war with one another, nor have we ever been. We are merely the instruments of the lunacy of others. The thing is, and never forget this - there will always be more of us than them, more of those that would rather climb out of the trenches and walk that distance towards those on an opposing side because of a shared understanding of what madness it all truly is.
If there is anything to be celebrated, let it be the hope that sooner than later we will act on that reality.
My very best wishes to each and every one of you, no matter where you are, no matter what you believe, and no matter how high the walls of your trench may seem.
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December 25th, 2007 at 12:21 am
Couldn’t be said any clearer than that.
Here’s to hope!
December 25th, 2007 at 12:29 am
All the best to you, Matt, and everyone else!
December 25th, 2007 at 12:37 am
Well said. Merry Christmas.
December 25th, 2007 at 12:55 am
Thanks Matt. That just put me in the place where I can go to bed happy on Christmas Eve.
Merry Christmas and best wishes to you and your family.
December 25th, 2007 at 1:10 am
Merry Christmas.
December 25th, 2007 at 1:18 am
Well put. I sent my holiday wishes on a previous thread, but it can’t be said too often. I wish the best of the season to everyone, and a New Year signalling the the turn of a peaceful new leaf.
December 25th, 2007 at 1:39 am
you just made me cry….”no matter how high the walls….”
Merry Christmas Matt….I wish you love, health and happiness. And that goes to all of you here…what a wonderful bunch of people.
All the best.
December 25th, 2007 at 2:29 am
epic.
December 25th, 2007 at 3:03 am
Merry Christmas Matthew ! Hope you enjoy your time with all your family & friends. Same goes to everyone else from the site ! CHEERS !
December 25th, 2007 at 4:41 am
Merry Christmas and happy kwanzaa eve.
December 25th, 2007 at 4:42 am
I want a pith helmet.
December 25th, 2007 at 5:29 am
Merry Christmas to you, the boys, Merle, Dale, and everyone else at mg.org, including my fellow fans. Can’t wait to see what you have up your sleeve next.
December 25th, 2007 at 5:53 am
well said matt…
merry christmas
December 25th, 2007 at 6:38 am
Well said and Merry Christmas! See you in Detroit!
December 25th, 2007 at 6:48 am
lighthouse:)
went out today yet see holy nowhere
December 25th, 2007 at 6:49 am
Merry Christmas, Matt. Best wishes to you, your family and everyone in the MG community.
December 25th, 2007 at 6:56 am
[quote comment="36343"]you just made me cry….”no matter how high the walls….”
Merry Christmas Matt….I wish you love, health and happiness. And that goes to all of you here…what a wonderful bunch of people.
All the best.[/quote]
Awe. You’re pretty cute, eh?
And thanks, you too. =)
December 25th, 2007 at 7:12 am
thanks for your continued inspiration
in your writing and music.
best wishes that the next few years
will see more love than hate in the world-
and more peace than war.
vincent, in buffalo
http://www.basicmagic.net
December 25th, 2007 at 7:20 am
Merry Christmas.
The pen is mightier than the sword. Of course the modern version of this fact substitutes entirely different weapons of choice.
Is this progress.
December 25th, 2007 at 8:26 am
great entry. merry christmas to you as well
December 25th, 2007 at 8:48 am
Merry Christmas to you and your family.
December 25th, 2007 at 8:54 am
Merry Christmas.
I hope it finds you and yours safe and well.
December 25th, 2007 at 9:30 am
……………………..We are not at war with one another, nor have we ever been. We are merely the instruments of the lunacy of others. The thing is, and never forget this - there will always be more of us than them, more of those that would rather climb out of the trenches and walk that distance towards those on an opposing side because of a shared understanding of what madness it all truly is.
Wow, wouldnt it be a blessing if everyone thought like this and never forgot.
……………………..My very best wishes to each and every one of you, no matter where you are, no matter what you believe, and no matter how high the walls of your trench may seem.
Now that brought tears to my eyes. Merry Christmas Matt, remember how adored you are. Now what would we all of done without your music?? Cheers!
December 25th, 2007 at 9:58 am
I wish we had people wh thought this way here. Well said. Best to you as well.
December 25th, 2007 at 10:03 am
Oh, the snowflakes fell in silence
Over Bellau Wood that night
For a Christmas truce had been declared
By both sides of the fight
SAs we lay there in our trenches
The silence broke in two
By a German soldier singing
A song that we all knew
Though I did not know the language
The song was “Silent Night”
Then I heard my buddy whisper,
“All is calm and all is bright”
Then the rear and doubt surrounded me
‘Cause I’d die if I was wrong
But I stood upu in my trench
And I begtan to sing along
Then across the frozen battlefield
Another’s voice joined in
Until one by one each man became
A singer of the hymn
Then I thought that I was dreaming
For right there in my sight
Stood the German soldier
Beneath the falling flakes of white
And he raised his hand and smiled at me
As if he seemed to say
Here’s hoping we both live
To see us find a better way
Then the devil’s clock struck midnight
And the skies lit up again
And the battlefield where heaven stood
Was blown to hell again
But for just one fleeting moment
The answer seemed so clear
Heaven’s not beyond the clouds
It’s just beyond the fear
No, heaven’s not beyond the clouds
It’s for us to find it here
December 25th, 2007 at 10:18 am
I have always been amazed at the idea of No Man’s Land…it stands for so much - honour, chivalry, trust - in a way that so recognizes the humanity of those who are fighting.
Thanks for this Matt. Happy Christmas to you and your little guys (that picture of Casey is priceless!) and your family and everyone here and everyone not here…
P.S. Patrick, I want a pointy Tin Man hat too.
December 25th, 2007 at 10:52 am
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays to everyone.
December 25th, 2007 at 10:57 am
Merry Christmas to Matt and his family, to all the fellow fans at MGO (the only people I enjoy talking to), and to all those and their families who need a little more than just Christmas cheer.
As we know, there are plenty of people who didn’t have a tree and family to wake up to this morning. My best wishes and prayers to all of them.
December 25th, 2007 at 11:49 am
Happy Holidays everyone!
December 25th, 2007 at 12:12 pm
Right back at you Dan *hugs*
December 25th, 2007 at 12:19 pm
happy christmas to you and your family matt. I love the song that you added on my space!
-kelly
December 25th, 2007 at 12:33 pm
wow, here at my house Christmas is a load of bullcrap, shit just made by corporations to make money, and seeing a bunch of relatives i really don’t like, but this post made my Christmas
December 25th, 2007 at 1:05 pm
Merry Christmas to you and yours, Matt! :) Hope your day and the year ahead is an awesome one for you!
December 25th, 2007 at 1:19 pm
[quote comment="36413"]wow, here at my house Christmas is a load of bullcrap, shit just made by corporations to make money, and seeing a bunch of relatives i really don’t like, but this post made my Christmas[/quote]
sigh. Anyway.
Merry Christmas Matt!
Here’s one for the fans out there.
http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x22/Ktindall/?action=view¤t=post-4-1042996356.jpg
December 25th, 2007 at 1:28 pm
ha, love it
ground control to major tom
I think I’ve found my long lost brother?
Here’s my Dad at our dinner……
http://photos-b.ak.facebook.com/photos-ak-sf2p/v167/11/60/512755413/n512755413_1935361_5079.jpg
December 25th, 2007 at 2:21 pm
Well spoken as always:)
Happy Holidays, Matt.
December 25th, 2007 at 2:23 pm
Happy Christmas as well!
Here’s a question Matt, if you were approached to have one or more of your tracks available for the game ROCK BAND, would you consider it?
If you are unfamilliar with the game’s concept, I’ll fill you in:
Real songs (mostly masters, some covers) by real artists allow there music to be broken down to vocals, drums, bass and guitar to be be played in a rythmic music game a la Guitar hero (same game devloper)
Though it is quite obviously more simplistic when compared to the talent needed for the real thing, I can attest that it gives a great amount of feedback to playing in a band, and provides one of the best party game
experiences around.
The reason why I’m asking is that I’ve heard word (and by word, I mean rumor) that Canadian artists are being considered due to the fact that new tracks are being added weekly, along with albums in their entirety ( The Who’s ‘Who’s Next’ is goning to be the first full album I believe).
I would love to hear your feedback on this!
-S
December 25th, 2007 at 6:01 pm
Well said… thanks
Happy Christmas!
December 25th, 2007 at 6:32 pm
Happy holidays!!!
Did anyone notice that the guy with the with the mustache (4th from the left) kind of looks like Dale?
Cheers,
B
December 25th, 2007 at 7:29 pm
[quote comment="36393"]Oh, the snowflakes fell in silence
Over Bellau Wood that night
For a Christmas truce had been declared
By both sides of the fight
SAs we lay there in our trenches
The silence broke in two
By a German soldier singing
A song that we all knew
Though I did not know the language
The song was “Silent Night”
Then I heard my buddy whisper,
“All is calm and all is bright”
Then the rear and doubt surrounded me
‘Cause I’d die if I was wrong
But I stood upu in my trench
And I begtan to sing along
Then across the frozen battlefield
Another’s voice joined in
Until one by one each man became
A singer of the hymn
Then I thought that I was dreaming
For right there in my sight
Stood the German soldier
Beneath the falling flakes of white
And he raised his hand and smiled at me
As if he seemed to say
Here’s hoping we both live
To see us find a better way
Then the devil’s clock struck midnight
And the skies lit up again
And the battlefield where heaven stood
Was blown to hell again
But for just one fleeting moment
The answer seemed so clear
Heaven’s not beyond the clouds
It’s just beyond the fear
No, heaven’s not beyond the clouds
It’s for us to find it here[/quote]
Wow, that’s an amazing poem! Who’s it by?
PS That has to win best response…. the silver goes to Pitt’s pith helmet!
December 25th, 2007 at 7:35 pm
its actually Garth Brooks
December 25th, 2007 at 7:52 pm
The war-time Christmas songs we’ve been hearing prompted a family discussion about the sacrifices made for war, with my boy saying something about the German soldiers not really being The Bad Guys, but just men fighting for their own country and wanting to return to their own families, same as any other soldier. The photo illustrates that sentiment well and the accompanying words are beautiful.
Merry Christmas to you, Matt Good, and all your fans/readers.
December 25th, 2007 at 8:08 pm
Merry Christmas.
December 25th, 2007 at 8:59 pm
This year i decided to lead the family in singing Christmas songs and did a bit of research on all of the old carols. Silent Night (”Stille Nacht”) was sung simultaneously in English and German by troops during the Christmas truce of 1914, as it was one of the few carols that soldiers on both sides of the front line knew. I also read there were exchanges of presents, food and even a few football matches during this short truce.
December 25th, 2007 at 9:56 pm
[quote comment="36417"][quote comment="36413"]
Here’s one for the fans out there.
http://s184.photobucket.com/albums/x22/Ktindall/?action=view¤t=post-4-1042996356.jpg/quote
For Christmas, my parents bought me a turntable, and at this very moment, I’m listening to my copy of the Wall in it’s entirty (I christened it with Comfortly Numb, but did’t listen to the entire thing)…anyway, at the very moment I opened the picture, I kid you not, the lyric was “snapshots in the family album.”
When I read this post, I also thought of this WWI story: http://www.historylearningsite.co.uk/christmas-1915-world-war-one.htm.
I hope everyone had a good Christmas. :)
December 26th, 2007 at 12:00 am
Merry Christmas, Matt. All the best to you and yours.
December 26th, 2007 at 9:16 am
Thanks for that post. Merry Christmas Matt! Wishing Everyone health and happiness!
December 26th, 2007 at 2:00 pm
High five Mr. Good.
December 26th, 2007 at 7:58 pm
Merry Christmas and happy holidays to everyone!
December 26th, 2007 at 10:01 pm
And a very Merry Christmas to you … Mr. Good.
December 27th, 2007 at 10:06 am
Great post Matt
Joyeux Noel to all of you !
December 27th, 2007 at 9:01 pm
I love you Mr. Matthew Good.
Merry Christmas and the best for you in 2008
Love from Buffalo,
Michelle
December 28th, 2007 at 1:26 am
(although a little late)
Merry Christmas!
and all the best in 2008.
December 30th, 2007 at 3:36 pm
Hope you had a good christmas (sorry it’s late, i’ve been away)!!