The webmaster generally does not comment on topics outside of the Meuse-Argonne, but U.K. grocery chain Sainsbury’s created a wonderfully moving Christmas Truce Ad and issued a bar of Belgian chocolate in a period wrapper; with profits from the sale of the chocolate bars going to the Royal British Legion, the U.K.’s leading armed forces charity.
Sainsbury’s 2014 Christmas Truce Chocolate Bar
Critics were quick to point out the commercialization of war to benefit a for-profit company; but the company also issued two additional videos that show the inspiration for the ad and the designer’s efforts to maintain a high degree of historical accuracy. At the time of this writing, YouTube states that the ad has had 16.5 million views. In addition, history buffs have shared this via email and other social media since its release in November.
In case any reader has missed it, a viewing of the Sainsbury’s 2014 Christmas Truce Ad is highly recommended. The Christmas Truce of 1914 was a brief, unique period near the beginning of the war where peace triumphed over war to various degrees and at various points along the Western Front.
