Today, most of us celebrate Christmas Eve each in our own way, enjoying the holidays peacefully with loved ones and following old traditions. That’s what I will be doing as well.
However, things haven’t always been as good, and people have had to spend Christmas in very different circumstances. Even today, Ukrainians’ Christmas is overshadowed by the ongoing war, the impact of which on their holiday spirit is difficult, if not impossible, to even imagine from the safety of our northern corner of the world.
That’s why I decided to share the following text with you—to remind us to be content and grateful for the peace and atmosphere we are fortunate to enjoy this Christmas. It is an excerpt from a war diary describing the Christmas of the 1st Machine Gun Company of Infantry Regiment 65 in the Finnish Army during the first year of the Winter War, 1939:
"24.12. Christmas Eve. Relocation to Räisänen. Part of the company engaged in combat, led by Second Lieutenant Micklin. Russian aircraft. On Christmas Eve evening: violin + guitar + singing. Morale fairly high. The cabins were very warm.
25.12. Wake-up at 4 a.m., followed by an early departure to the front lines. Dry rations ran out. Supply extremely difficult. The men in their positions endured the terrible cold, -35°C, and hunger, but there was no help due to poor connections. Artillery fire several times. The Russians retreated about 3–4 km. Intense pursuit. Sergeant Taimi wounded. Cold night. Supply improved slightly. The battalion had no tents or other equipment except for Company I. We received rations during the night.
26.12. Fierce fighting continued through the night. Patrols continued movements and battles. Our patrol silenced a Russian mortar. In the morning, we got some rest. Overall, it was a relatively calm day. Shells + aircraft."
With these words, I wish all of you—my dear audience—a good, peaceful, and grateful Christmas! To Ukrainians especially, I also wish for a better future!
Previous thoughts on the same topic:
Christmas gift to the Holy Land
History of Finland XIV: The end of the first Finnish Republic
Merry Christmas!
Four elements of the war. Cold, fear, hunger and tiredness.
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