,,iv  #aacth ,,congress  #b;d ,session  
,h4 ,,res4 #gha  ,,in ,,the ,,house ,,of
 ,,representatives  ,december #aa1 #bjad
 ,mr4 ,crowley submitted the following  
resolution2 which was referred to the   
,committee on ,foreign ,affairs         
,,resolution  ,commemorating the #ajjth 
,anniversary of the ,world ,war ,i      
,christmas ,truce of #aiad4  ,whereas by
 ,december #aiad1 ,world ,war ,i had    
left about #ij percent of the highly    
trained members of the ,british         
,expeditionary ,force in ,france with   
casualties1 and about #cj percent dead2 
,whereas the cries and moans of the     
injured and dying in no man's land could
 be heard throughout the ,western       
,front1 and many of the dead had been   
lying unburied2 ,whereas1 on ,december  
#g1 #aiad1 ,pope ,benedict ,,xv         
suggested a temporary hiatus of the war 
for the celebration of ,christmas2      
,whereas despite this proposal1 the     
warring countries refused to create any 
official cease-fire2 ,whereas1 on       

,christmas ,eve1 which under ,german    
tradition has more celebrations than the
 day itself1 ,german soldiers began to  
sing carols and place lantern-lit       
,christmas trees above their trenches2  
,whereas much of ,december had been wet1
 but on this night the temperature      
dropped and a sharp frost settled over  
the landscape1 making both trench       
conditions more bearable and the air    
clear and still2 ,whereas ,rifleman ,c  
,h ,brazier1 ,queen's ,westminsters of  
,bishop's ,stortford1 claimed in his    
letters that the ,german soldiers said  
they would not shoot on ,christmas ,day 
if his fellows did not2 ,whereas another
 letter from ,private ,cunningham1 of   
the #eth ,scottish ,rifles1 to his      
friend ,mr4 ,james ,d ,gray1 in         
,carluke1 ,scotland1 also reveals in    
more detail how such truces came about3 
,on ,christmas ,eve the firing          
practically ceased4 '''2 ,whereas1 on   
,christmas ,day1 the soldiers of        
opposing forces emerged from their      

trenches and declared their own         
unofficial truce1 and shook hands with  
their enemies2 ,whereas according to    
many letters1 a good-spirited1 impromptu
 football match between ,german and     
,allied soldiers took place in no man's 
land on this day and is commemorated    
annually by ,english football teams2    
,whereas in recognition of the #ajjth   
anniversary this year1 special          
,christmas ,truce candles will be lit   
around the world1 including by          
,archbishop ,desmond ,tutu in ,cape     
,town1 ,south ,africa1 and ,pel in      
,santos1 ,brazil2 ,whereas worldwide    
celebrations are expected to take place1
 including the unveiling of a sculpture 
by ,andy ,edwards in ,liverpool         
capturing the #aiad ,christmas ,day     
football match2 and ,whereas the lessons
 of this event are that the light of    
human empathy can dispel the darkness of
 despair1 the possibility for future    
peace can still exist when at war with  
other nations1 and that behind the      

clashing of weapons and trenches of     
indifference humanity essentially       
endures3 ,now1 therefore1 be it  ,that  
the ,house of ,representatives --  7#a7 
honors the #ajjth ,anniversary of the   
,world ,war ,i ,christmas ,truce of     
#aiad2  7#b7 recognizes the ,christmas  
,truce's symbol of the triumph of the   
human spirit over adversity2 and  7#c7  
commemorates the ,world ,war ,i         
,christmas ,truce of #aiad and its      
legacy as a message of future peace and 
unity between all nations4