December 21st Berliners gathered at city hall to celebrate Christmas. The Salvation Army and the Army band were present to provide the audience with music as Mayor Euler addressed the people of Berlin. He discussed the pressure that war had put on the city and expressed hope that the conflict would soon come to a close. Following the ceremony, city hall officials illuminated the town square’s twenty-eight-foot Christmas tree.
While the war placed a great burden upon the Waterloo Region, the communities came together to celebrate the holidays. These gatherings also allowed time for reflection on the war itself and for those who had already enlisted.
(“Public Christmas Tree Erected at City Hall,” Berlin Daily Telegraph, 23 December 1914)
