Excerpt from "A Busload of Strangers"

Reprinted from I'll Be Home for Christmas: The Library of Congress Revisits the Spirit of Christmas during World War II.

Published in 1999.

"It didn't promise to be the best of Christmas Eves—America was in the midst of World War II."

By Christmastime 1943 the United States had officially been at war for two years. Millions of American men were stationed away from home and family. Many of them were overseas in very dangerous situations, about as far from the warmth, security, and joy of Christmastime as one could be. On the home front, wreaths appeared on doors as always; stockings were hung, trees decorated, and presents wrapped. Young children tried to be very, very good. However, despite outward appearances and the usual...