 Truces between British and German units can be dated to early November 1914 , around the time opposing armies had begun static trench warfare . At this time , both sides ' rations were brought up to the front line after dusk , and soldiers on both sides noted a period of peace while they collected their food . By 1 December , a British soldier could record a friendly visit from a German sergeant one morning " to see how we were getting on " . Relations between French and German units were generally more tense , but the same phenomenon began to emerge . In early December , a German surgeon recorded a regular half @-@ hourly truce each evening to recover dead soldiers for burial , during which French and German soldiers exchanged newspapers . This behaviour was often challenged by both junior and senior officers ; the young Charles de Gaulle wrote on 7 December of the " lamentable " desire of French infantrymen to leave the enemy in peace , while the commander of 10th Army , Victor d 'Urbal , wrote of the " unfortunate consequences " when men " become familiar with their neighbours opposite " . Other truces could be enforced on both sides by weather conditions , especially when trench lines flooded in low @-@ lying areas , though these often lasted after the weather had cleared . 
