Christmas is said to be a time of love, cheer, and human compassion. These photos may be decades-old, but the stories they tell are not much different than the stories of today. |
British and German troops sharing the unofficial cease-fire during WWI in No Man's Land (1914) |
The first Norwegian Christmas tree in Trafalgar Square donated to London by the city of Oslo as thanks for England's help during WWII (18 Dec. 1947) |
Using old WWII flamethrowers to clear up snow (December 1947) |
A poor woman taking a donated Christmas dinner from the Salvation Army (1910) |
Traditionally, people would line up to visit the open day at the White House. The president of the U.S.A. would personally shake the hands of anyone who arrived (1927) |
A young girl leaving a message for Santa Claus in the Brecknock School for Blind Children (1925) |
Rehearsals for the first-ever New Year's Eve Time ball drop (1907) |
A young German couple welcoming the new year on top of the Berlin Wall with a kiss (1989) |
Santa riding an elephant (1925) |
John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Mary Hopkins at a Christmas party (1968) |
Bostonians out for Christmas shopping (1930) |
Unemployed New Yorkers celebrating Christmas during the Great Depression (1938) |
Republicans and democrats enjoying a friendly snowball fight (December 14, 1923) |
Father Frost on a rocket during the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia (1959) |
Brothers reunite after being separated by the Berlin Wall for 2 years. In 1963, residents of West Berlin were allowed a one-day pass into East Berlin to visit relatives. |
King George V giving the first Christmas Day address to the people of Britain over the radio (1932) |
Queen Elizabeth giving the first televised address (1957) |
President Reagan dressed as Santa, hearing his wife, Nancy's, requests for Christmas (1983) |
President Roosevelt addressing the audience during the White House Christmas Tree Lighting (1941) |
Christmas dinner at an internment camp for Americans of German, Japanese and Italian descent during WWII (1943) |
A British pilot handing out gifts to children in the Netherlands during its liberation. The Germans had stopped providing the locals with food and fuel, causing a famine (1944) |
American soldiers decorate a Christmas Tree during the Vietnam War (1967) |
English schoolboys going home for Christmas (1926) |
A French soldier dressed as Santa delivering his comrades parcels from home (1939) |
The first Capitol Christmas Tree (1913) |
A young child hugging his father's leg as he holds his wife after returning from the war (1944) |
Children in London, celebrating Christmas in a bomb shelter (1940) |
A couple from West Berlin, waving to their relatives on the other side of the Berlin Wall (1961) |
Injured soldier feeding his buddy Christmas dinner in a Belgian hospital (1944) |
Jewish residents of the Westerbrok concentration camp lighting Hannukah candles in hope of better times (1942) |
The Lincoln Heights "drunk tank", where Police used to keep inebriated people (1952) |
H/T: distractify.com |