THE POWER OF THE CHRISTMAS CAROL

SILENT NIGHT

The setting is World War I, the winter of 1914.  With the approach of Christmas Eve, German soldiers on the battlefields of Flanders began to place small Christmas trees, lit with candles, outside their trenches.  They then began to sing Christmas carols.  They began with “Stille Nacht, Heilige Nacht” (Silent Night, Holy Night).  Unexpectedly, from the other side of the No Man’s Land, came the singing of British and French soldiers.  As a result of the responsive singing, the German soldiers, speaking in broken English, proposed a Christmas truce.  All along the front lines, British and French troops agreed.  In some sectors along the line, allied troops fired at the Germans as they climbed out of their trenches, but they persisted.  Despite mud and death, Christmas would be celebrated!!

Stanley Weintraub, in his remarkable little book, Silent Night (Free Press, 2001), records the details of this event.  “Signboards arose up and down the trenches in a variety of shapes,” writes Weintraub.  “They were usually in English, or—from the Germans—in fractured English.  Rightly, the Germans assumed that the other side could not read traditional gothic lettering, and that few English understood spoken German.  ‘YOU NO FIGHT, WE NO FIGHT’ was the most frequently employed German message.  Some British units improvised ‘MERRY CHRISTMAS’ banners and waited for a response.  More placards on both sides popped up.” 

At this point a spontaneous truce evolved.  The soldiers left their trenches; the two sides met and shook hands.  First, they buried their dead, unreachable for months in No Man’s Land, then they exchanged gifts—chocolate cake sent from home, cognac, tobacco, postcards, newspapers.  Ingenuity characterized the truce:  “‘A perfectly trained [German] dog,’ the French reported, ensured communication between the lines.”  In other sectors along the line, the two enemies put down their guns and played soccer.

It is an amazing and inspiring story.  The misery of this horrific war was shared equally by both sides, described by Weintraub as “shells, bombs, underground caves, corpses, blood, liquor, mice, cats, artillery, filth, bullets, mortars, fire, steel” and mud.  But it is obvious from Weintraub’s account that both sides equally shared the bond of Christmas, brought on by the singing of “Silent Night, Holy Night.”  It was that shared bond that brought them out of the trenches.  It was that shared bond that caused them to forget their hatreds, horrors and homesickness.  It was that shared bond that embraced the power of Christmas.

Not everyone shared that bond, however.  The generals on both sides did not like this Christmas truce and ordered their soldiers to resume firing.  They did not!  One German officer explained that his men were only “wasting ammunition in trying to shoot the stars down from the sky.”  Further, although the German Saxons, Bavarians, Alsatians and Westphalians all took part, the Prussians did not.  A certain corporal of the 16th Bavarian Reserve Infantry Regiment deplored this truce and refused to participate.  “Such a thing would not happen in wartime.  Have you no German sense of honor left at all?,” he asked.  His name was Adolf Hitler. 

The power of the Christmas carol, “Silent Night,” transformed the 1914 Christmas for those front-line soldiers.  It may have even saved some of their lives.  Immediately after Christmas day, the truce ended and the killing resumed.  But the power of a Christmas carol changed things, even if for a few hours.  That is the reality of the Christmas story:  The babe in the manger on that “Silent Night” is still offering the gift of peace, peace with God and peace with one another.  He is in the business of changing people’s lives.

THE TWELVE DAYS OF CHRISTMAS

One of the most unusual Christmas carols is the anonymous, “The Twelve Days of Christmas.”  Although we do not know the author, we do know some details.  First, we know that the “twelve days” refer to the period between the different celebrations of Christmas—25 December (in the Western Church) and 6 January (in the Eastern Church).  Second, as with many songs, writings and art coming out of the late Middle Ages, symbols often expressed cogent truth.  So, all of the birds and various people of the song represent an aspect of Christian truth.  Here is the interpretation of the song’s symbols:

• The partridge and the pear tree were always associated with Jesus’ birth, thus representing a double-image of the Nativity.

• “Two turtle doves” bring to mind Jesus’ presentation at Mary’s purification (Luke 2:21-24) and the Spirit’s descent on Him after His baptism (Matthew 3:1-17).

• “French hens” symbolize self-sacrifice and care, indicative of Jesus’ role as the Good Shepherd.

• The “five gold rings” remind us of the golden ring-necked pheasants often associated with the Nativity (as in Fra Angelico’s Nativity), of royalty (Jesus is King of Kings) and of the promise of life after death.

• “Geese” represent spiritual vigilance, avoidance of worldly pleasures and unreserved devotion to obedience.  Obviously, these are the qualities of Jesus.

• The “seven swans” bring the opening series of “days” to their climax.  In medieval Europe, the swan was always associated with royalty and prophecy, was thought to know the hour of its death and would so announce it with a great cry (the “swan song”), thereby enduring its association with Jesus’ death on the cross.  For the person of late medieval Europe, the seven swans offered a penetrating reminder of Jesus as Savior. 

• The remaining five “days” all focus on people.  Lowly “milk maids” at work give way to dancing “ladies” and “lords” in furious displays of joy.  They are followed by an orchestra of “pipers” and “drummers” who support the chorus.  As the momentum of these last five verses picks up, we find ourselves caught up in a frantic celebration; a celebration of our Savior.

• How many actual gifts are there in this song?  If one gift arrives on the first day, three on the second, six on the third, etc., by the last day there is a total of 364 gifts, one for each day of the medieval year.  Therefore, the “My True Love” of the song is not an earthly lover; it is God Himself.  The gift of His Son is sufficient and meaningful for every day of the year.

The carol, “The Twelve Days of Christmas,” is fun, fast and furious.  The lyrics really make no sense unless you unpack the symbolism of the gifts associated with each “day.”  Then it makes sense.  It is all about Jesus, the very reason for the Christmas celebration.  This strange, yet fast-paced song is rarely sung in churches, but perhaps it should be.  It resonates with the central message of Christmas:  Jesus is God’s gift to the human race, not simply for the twelve days of Christmas—but for every day.  That is why the Apostle Paul exhorts us to daily thank God for “His unspeakable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:15) of the Lord Jesus.

Much of the material on “The Twelve Days of Christmas” was gleaned from Dr. Tim Ralston’s article in Kindred Spirit (December 2000), pp. 12-13.