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31 Historic Christmas Photos

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. Some were made in much harder times, when the holiday season was the one bright light they had. These are some of the scenes of Christmas past.

British and German troops sharing the unofficial cease-fire during WWI in No Man's Land (1914)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

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)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

Using old WWII flamethrowers to clear up snow (December 1947)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

A poor woman taking a donated Christmas dinner from the Salvation Army (1910)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

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)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

A young girl leaving a message for Santa Claus in the Brecknock School for Blind Children (1925)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

Rehearsals for the first-ever New Year's Eve Time ball drop (1907)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

A young German couple welcoming the new year on top of the Berlin Wall with a kiss (1989)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

Santa riding an elephant (1925)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

John Lennon, Yoko Ono and Mary Hopkins at a Christmas party (1968)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

Bostonians out for Christmas shopping (1930)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

Unemployed New Yorkers celebrating Christmas during the Great Depression (1938)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

Republicans and democrats enjoying a friendly snowball fight (December 14, 1923)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

Father Frost on a rocket during the Soviet occupation of Czechoslovakia (1959)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

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.

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

King George V giving the first Christmas Day address to the people of Britain over the radio (1932)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

Queen Elizabeth giving the first televised address (1957)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

President Reagan dressed as Santa, hearing his wife, Nancy's, requests for Christmas (1983)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

President Roosevelt addressing the audience during the White House Christmas Tree Lighting (1941)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

Christmas dinner at an internment camp for Americans of German, Japanese and Italian descent during WWII (1943)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

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)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos

American soldiers decorate a Christmas Tree during the Vietnam War (1967)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

English schoolboys going home for Christmas (1926)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

A French soldier dressed as Santa delivering his comrades parcels from home (1939)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

The first Capitol Christmas Tree (1913)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

A young child hugging his father's leg as he holds his wife after returning from the war (1944)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

Children in London, celebrating Christmas in a bomb shelter (1940)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

A couple from West Berlin, waving to their relatives on the other side of the Berlin Wall (1961)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

Injured soldier feeding his buddy Christmas dinner in a Belgian hospital (1944)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

Jewish residents of the Westerbrok concentration camp lighting Hannukah candles in hope of better times (1942)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 

The Lincoln Heights "drunk tank", where Police used to keep inebriated people (1952)

32 Vintage Christmas Photos
 
H/T: distractify.com
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