Christmas Unity by Eleri Grace

 Each Christmas I am reminded of a lovely blog post from several years ago that a man wrote in tribute to his mother, who had served as a Red Cross Girl in Europe from 1943-45. He recounted a special tabletop Christmas tree decorated with simple handcrafted decorations -- paper chains, popcorn strings and candy canes -- that he and his mother put up every year. It was many years later before he understood the significance of that small, humble tree, which stood in such contrast to his family's far larger "real" Christmas tree in the front living room. His mom's wartime journal described the small simple tabletop tree she and her fellow Red Cross Girls created for themselves and the units they were attached to at the time in December 1944. 

What her journal doesn't describe was that her Clubmobile group likely had made a sudden move back into France from Belgium or Luxembourg. The Germans launched their Battle of the Bulge counteroffensive in the early morning hours of December 16, 1944, and several Clubmobiles and their crews were caught behind or very near enemy lines. Even the ones who had been situated reasonably back in western Belgium were forced to trek back into France for their safety. It was Christmas Eve before all the women reached their units back in France.

Though happy to see the safe return of their friends, that Christmas was also marked with mourning for one of their own who died while recuperating from a mild illness in a hospital that was bombed in battle. The women also, as his blog described, continued to be profoundly affected by their work with soldiers who had been in the thick of battle and were left physically wounded and/or psychologically scarred. His mother often included photographs of "her boys" nestled into the small Christmas tree -- that bitterly cold and uncertain Christmas of 1944 lived powerfully in her memory for the rest of her life. If you wish to read the entirety of his blog post, you can find it here.

As always, my wish for 2023 is that we all might recall the selfless spirit of the Greatest Generation and be guided by the kindness, generosity of spirit, and optimism for a brighter future that motivated both the servicemen and servicewomen of that classic era. Wishing all of you a very festive holiday season, a Merry Christmas if you celebrate, and a New Year filled with love, hope, and happiness!