The Christmas truce (German: Weihnachtsfrieden; French: Trêve de Noël) was a series of
widespread but unofficial ceasefires along the Western Front around Christmas 1914. In
the week leading up to the holiday, German and British soldiers crossed trenches to
exchange seasonal greetings and talk. In areas, men from both sides ventured into no
man's land on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day to mingle and exchange food and
souvenirs. There were joint burial ceremonies and prisoner swaps, while several meetings
ended in carol-singing. Men played games of football with one another, giving one of the
most memorable images of the truce. Peaceful behaviour was not ubiquitous; fighting
continued in some sectors, while in others the sides settled on little more than
arrangements to recover bodies.