The touching drama Merry Christmas, about a true-life spontaneous Christmas truce unofficially declared by opposing soldiers in World War I, is the next Movies with Spirit screening, scheduled for December 17 at 7 p.m. at the Rondout Valley United Methodist Church, located at 25 Schoonmaker Lane in Stone Ridge. In the film and in real life, World War I Europe faces unprecedented slaughter, carnage and destruction. Yet, on Christmas Eve 1914, in a remarkable moment largely forgotten in history, soldiers in a section of the Western Front – a 400-mile stretch weaving through France and Belgium – feel a shift, however fleeting, toward peace and goodwill.
The film’s trailer can be found on YouTube at tinyurl.com/MerryChristmas-MoviesWSpirit. The screening will be followed by a facilitated discussion. Refreshments will be served. Attendees over age 12 are asked to contribute $10 a person.
The monthly Movies with Spirit series is organized by Gerry Harrington of Kingston. For more information about Merry Christmas and the rest of the series, contact Harrington at (845) 389-9201 or at gerryharrington@mindspring.com.
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