Members of Troop 44 receive the Peace Light at a special ceremony on Dec. 18, 2025. (provided by Nick Galeano)
The holiday season can be busy. We have projects to finish up in school, end of the year events, parties to attend and a winter break to plan. But it is also a time to reflect and to slow down. In Germany, we celebrate the advent. It’s the four Sundays before Christmas.
On the first day of advent, more than a thousand scouts gathered in Linz to receive the Peace Light. The Peace Light is a flame that is brought to us from Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus. Each year, a child from Austria travels to Bethlehem to receive the light and shares it during a large church service in Austria. From there, scouts from across Europe share across borders.
On Thursday, Dec. 18, 2025 we, the scouts from Troop 44, hosted a very special ceremony. It was the Peace Light ceremony, where we distributed the light that was shared from Bethlehem. Our den chief Willam received this Peace Light at the Stuttgart train station from scouts who had traveled to Austria. He shared it with us for the troop at this ceremony.
Members of Troop 44 pose with the Peace Light at a special ceremony on Dec. 18, 2025. (provided by Nick Galeano)
The Peace Light represents the hope for peace. No matter the conditions in the world, we can all come together and share our mission as scouts being messengers of peace. We celebrate the peace between us, no matter our religion, race or creed. We hope to continue this tradition through the years with not just our troop but the community as well.
As we are in the busy holiday season, we take the time to reflect, to look at the flame that we shared during the ceremony, reminding us all that peace begins with each of us.
