A true story from Christmas eve 1914
Christmas in the Trenches - written and performed by John McCutcheon

Lyrics below the fold

Christmas in the Trenches

My name is Francis Tolliver, I come from Liverpool.
Two years ago the war was waiting for me after school.
To Belgium and to Flanders, to Germany to here
I fought for King and country I love dear.
'Twas Christmas in the trenches, where the frost so bitter hung,
The frozen fields of France were still, no Christmas song was sung
Our families back in England were toasting us that day
Their brave and glorious lads so far away.

I was lying with my messmate on the cold and rocky ground
When across the lines of battle came a most peculiar sound
Says I, "Now listen up, me boys!" each soldier strained to hear
As one young German voice sang out so clear.
"He's singing bloody well, you know!" my partner says to me
Soon, one by one, each German voice joined in harmony
The cannons rested silent, the gas clouds rolled no more
As Christmas brought us respite from the war
As soon as they were finished and a reverent pause was spent
"God Rest Ye Merry, Gentlemen" struck up some lads from Kent
The next they sang was "Stille Nacht." "Tis 'Silent Night'," says I
And in two tongues one song filled up that sky

"There's someone coming toward us!" the front line sentry cried
All sights were fixed on one long figure trudging from their side
His truce flag, like a Christmas star, shown on that plain so bright
As he, bravely, strode unarmed into the night
Soon one by one on either side walked into No Man's Land
With neither gun nor bayonet we met there hand to hand
We shared some secret brandy and we wished each other well
And in a flare-lit soccer game we gave 'em hell

We traded chocolates, cigarettes, and photographs from home
These sons and fathers far away from families of their own
Young Sanders played his squeezebox and they had a violin
This curious and unlikely band of men

Soon daylight stole upon us and France was France once more
With sad farewells we each prepared to settle back to war
But the question haunted every heart that lived that wonderous night
"Whose family have I fixed within my sights?"

'Twas Christmas in the trenches where the frost, so bitter hung
The frozen fields of France were warmed as songs of peace were sung
For the walls they'd kept between us to exact the work of war
Had been crumbled and were gone forevermore

My name is Francis Tolliver, in Liverpool I dwell
Each Christmas come since World War I, I've learned its lessons well
That the ones who call the shots won't be among the dead and lame
And on each end of the rifle we're the same

© 1984 John McCutcheon - All rights reserved

Where is the peace today? How would Mary and Joseph fair in Bethlehem...Birth at a check point?

One year earlier in Michigan is another true Christmas story that doesn't end so well...

"1913 Massacre"
Woody Guthrie

Take a trip with me in 1913
To Calumet, Michigan, in the copper country
I will take you to a place called Italian Hall
Where the miners are having their big Christmas ball

I will take you in a door and up a high stairs
Singing and dancing is heard everywhere
I will let you shake hands with the people you see
And watch the kids dance around the big Christmas tree

You ask about work and you ask about pay
They'll tell you they make less than a dollar a day
Working the copper claims, risking their lives
So it's fun to spend Christmas with children and wives

There's talking and laughing and songs in the air
And the spirit of Christmas is there everywhere
Before you know it you're friends with us all
And you're dancing around and around in the hall

Well a little girl sits down by the Christmas tree lights
To play the piano so you gotta keep quiet
To hear all this fun you would not realize
That the copper boss' thug men are milling outside

The copper boss' thugs stuck their heads in the door
One of them yelled and he screamed, "there's a fire!"
A lady she hollered, "there's no such a thing
Keep on with your party, there's no such thing."

A few people rushed and it was only a few
"It's just the thugs and the scabs fooling you,"
A man grabbed his daughter and carried her down
But the thugs held the door and he could not get out

And then others followed, a hundred or more
But most everybody remained on the floor
The gun thugs they laughed at their murderous joke
While the children were smothered on the stairs by the door

Such a terrible sight I never did see
We carried our children back up to their tree
The scabs outside still laughed at their spree
And the children that died there were seventy-three

The piano played a slow funeral tune
And the town was lit up by a cold Christmas moon
The parents they cried and the miners they moaned
"See what your greed for money has done."

A hundred years ago the labor movement created great social and political change. We need that kind of movement again.

Despite all the conflict in the world there have been bright spots.
One is the rise of alternative media. We have a way to see beyond the propaganda TPTB want us to believe...that war is good and provides jobs, America is the shining city on the hill, and all the other nonsense...

One of my favorite finds of the year has been "Dialogue Works". Nima interviews many of the same people as Judge Nap, but in longer form and less structured format.
Here's his interviews for this week. Background of each person at the links.
Chas Freeman - NATO Unity Has Cracked (44 min)
Matthew Hoh - Destroying and Making Unhabitable (40 min)
Col. Karen Kwiatkowski - Putin's Clear Mind (66 min)
Jeffrey Sachs - Dismissing Russian Concerns Outright (20 min)
and a second interview - Extremely Ignorant and Dangerous Policies (32 min)
Dmitry Orlov - NATO can't Survive as an Organization (34 min)
Nicolai N. Petro - Hopeless Military Situation (1 hour)
Andrei Martyanov - Destruction on a Huge Scale (61 min)
Ray McGovern - The US Massive Support for Israel - Historical Account (53 min)
Dan Kovalik - Tragedy of Palestine | Russia-US Bargaining Table (33 min)
Larry C. Johnson - Embracing Colossal Failures (52 min)

I became familiar with The Duran through Joe's EB. They are another favorite of mine. I especially enjoy Alex. His humor was a strong component of this walk and talk...

The routine at the beginning of Haley connecting the dots is hilarious. Entire video 40 min.

The Duran also interviews many people. This week the interviewed:
Seyed Mohammad Marandi - Iran in a Changing World (80 min)
Alastair Crooke - Palestine to Ukraine. Conflicts without Solution (102 min)
Patrick Lancaster - Frontline update; Avdeyevka and Marinka (45 min)
John Mearsheimer - Gaza & Ukraine Endgame (100 min)
Alex and Alexander also offer commentary and analysis on a variety of topics on their channel.

SoE often provides link to Judge Nap's interviews in the Saturday OT.
The last few weeks he has featured Max Blumenthal. This week they discussed:
Are Biden and Netanyahu on a Collision Course? (32 min)
Ray and Larry - INTEL Roundtable: 2023: A Year of Intelligence Failures. (30 min)
Gary Barnett: How Dangerous is the Government? (24 min)
Alastair Crooke: The US an outcast at the UN (31 min)
Scott Horton: 2023: Lessons for Biden, Zelenskyy, and Netanyahu (28 min)
Professor John Mearsheimer: 2023: Lessons for Biden, Zelenskyy, and Netanyahu (35 min)
Mike Benz: How Dangerous is the CIA? (25 min)
Phil Giraldi: Antisemitism and the Israeli Government (25 min)
Plus many others at his channel. These are just his interviews over the last two days.

I don't often feature George Galloway, but he too is one of my favorites. His show runs Sunday afternoon and Wednesday evening. Today's Christmas special is at 1 pm central time. His monologues are great. Wednesday's is below...(19 min)

He also has good guests. He featured Gonzalo Lira's Dad, Garland Nixon, the Russian UN ambassador and others last week. I normally tune in late to skip through the breaks and some of the calls.

SoE often features Pepe Escobar in the Saturday OT. Pepe is often on Danny Hiaphong's show. (30 min)

He's recently returned from a trip to Moscow and central Asia's ...stans.
Full 2 hour interview here.
Pepe sometimes appears with Michael Hudson at the Geopolitical Economy Report.

Jimmy Dore often provides comic relief to the tense situation in the world. Jordan Peterson has been required to attend "woke" school because of his wrong speech on X, formally called Twitter. The skit below is what develops after his schooling...
Tyler Fischer’s HILARIOUS “Woke Jordan Peterson” impression! (15 min)
Laughter is a good approach to our situation...

During the holiday season, crass commercialism focuses on the purchase and exchanges of gifts. Ironically the most valuable gifts can't be bought...

Friends and family are another special aspect of the holiday. I hope your life and this holiday are filled with both.

Music is a big part of our life and holiday season...

This is the type of music we love playing...

Tommy Jarrell: Breaking Up Christmas (1983) (4 min)

We enjoy listening to Celtic Christmas music too. We also play and sing many of these songs.

Celtic and Irish Christmas Favorites (feat. Craig Duncan & David Arkenstone) 55 min
1. Joy To The World/How Great Our Joy
2. Good King Wenceslas
3. Carol of the Bells
4. The Holly and the Ivy/The Cherry Tree Carol
5. I Saw Three Ships
6. The Coventry Carol
7. Jingle Bells
8. We Three Kings
9. Devonshire Carol/Angels We Have Heard On High
10. Christmas Day Ida Morning
11. Patapan
12. Ding Dong Merrily On High/Chimes Reel
13. Galician Carol
14. Deck The Hall/As I Went Out Upon The Ice
15. Angels We Have Heard On High
16. Bottom of the Punch Bowl
17. The First Noel
18. God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen/While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks
19. Hark! The Herald Angels Sing
20. The Gloucestershire Wassail/A Wassail, A Wassail Through the Town
21. The Sussex Carol
22. Masters In the Hall/The Golden Carol of the Wisemen/I Saw Three Ships/As I Sat on a Sunny Bank
23. The Wexford Carol
24. The Gooding Carol/Good Christian Men Rejoice
25. Away In A Manger
26. Wassailing
27. What Child Is This?
28. Carol of the Bagpipers
29. Christmas In Killarney
30. Taladh Chriosta (Lullaby of the Christ Child)