This will make you believe in Christmas magic!

Now, here is some more proof that Christmas magic is real – and they aptly titled it Operation Christmas. During the Christmas season of 2010, the Colombian Government decorated nine huge jungle trees with lights. Guerrilla fighters were hiding in that part of the jungle, so, in between the trees, the government set up a banner which said: “If Christmas can come to the jungle, you can come home. Demobilize.” This campaign convinced 331 guerrilla fighters to return to society. Deservedly, the Operation Christmas campaign won a gold Cannes Lion in the outdoor category and half a dozen Grand Prix awards at other shows.

Operation Christmas

Operation Christmas II: Rivers of Light

The authors of the campaign are the Colombian ad agency Lowe, which had been working with the Colombian government for years. Later, in 2011, the Operation Christmas had its sequel – its name was “Rivers of Light” and, this time, the agency let glowing plastic balls down the rivers. These rivers are the highways of the jungle and guerrilla fighters use them to travel and communicate. Also, the balls contained messages and small gifts from family and friends of the fighters. Hence, the result: 180 more guerrillas decided to come back.

Background

The Colombian Conflict began in 1964 and is ongoing. The participants of the war are the Colombian government (which has the support of the USA and most of the West), the communist guerrillas (the most famous are the FARC and the ELN, who were the main target of the Operation Christmas) and the nationalist paramilitary organizations such as AUC. It was an important step towards peace when in 2016 the government and FARC signed a peace treaty. Therefore, the Colombian president, Juan Manuel Santos, won the Nobel Peace Prize for the peace deal.

If you enjoyed this post, feel free to check out Kiss under the Mistletoe!

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