With so many wars taking place, the world needs the gift of peace more than anything this holiday season. The world needs the peace of Christmas Eve. It has happened before.

On Christmas Eve in 1814, thousands of American, British and Canadian families were having their prayers answered. But none of them knew it. A war was being ended that night by the signing of a peace treaty by American and British diplomats.

The Treaty of Ghent was signed on Christmas Eve on Dec. 24, 1814, ending The War of 1812 between Great Britain and the United States. The treaty negotiations and signing took place in Ghent, Belgium.

At last there was peace. The treaty would bring about the end of the fighting and fear that took place along the border of the United States and the British colony of Canada. It ended a war that saw naval battles on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. The Capitol and White House in Washington, D.C. were burned to the ground in the war. Towns and cities in both the U.S. and Canada suffered destruction during the conflict.

But with the peace treaty there was hope for the future. It took days and weeks for news of the peace treaty to reach everyone.

When it did there was rejoicing. An article in the Connecticut Courant read, “After having suffered all the evils of war, attended with an enormous load of taxes, the return of peace is greeted by all classes, with the most lively enthusiasm.”

Just a year earlier, the Courant reported on the tragic events of the war in the Niagara region of western New York, including the burning of Buffalo by British troops.

On Jan. 18, 1814, the Courant reprinted an account by Maj. H. Norton: “Buffalo was to be sacrificed to the vengeance of the foe, and the whole of this pleasant flourishing village has been laid in ashes. Such is the horrid character which this war has assumed — a war of plunder and of burning.”

Victims of the war needed humanitarian aid and charity was put into action. The same report in the Courant described efforts to provide “for the relief of the sufferers on the Niagara frontier.” War always leads to hunger and displacement, and the impact is felt for years to come.

The Treaty of Ghent not only ended The War of 1812, but it helped lead to future agreements reducing the risk of more conflict. The Rush-Bagot agreement of 1817 disarmed British and American warships on the Great Lakes and Lake Champlain. This was a wise choice to avoid a costly arms race and prevent a buildup of warships that could lead to more war.

Britain and the United States had tired of fighting each other. It was better to settle disputes at the negotiating table rather than the battlefield. A peaceful border between the U.S. and Canada was forged.

We can only hope those at war will find the wisdom to settle differences peacefully. Aggression and warfare cannot lead to peace or prosperity. Nations cannot develop amid the horror of war.

This Christmas Eve, nations in conflicts would be far better off to end the fighting. It would give people a chance to breathe and rest from the horror of war. Nations should be exploring chances for a lasting peace, and avoiding forever wars.

The peace of Christmas Eve in 1814 ended an era of warfare between Britain and the United States. The peace allowed communities to rebuild free from the fear of more attacks.

Something to remember this Christmas Eve is that each of us can be an advocate for peace. We can hope that those praying for peace this Christmas Eve and holiday season will have them answered. We all need the peace of Christmas Eve.

William Lambers is the author of “The Road to Peace” and partnered with the U.N. World Food Program on the book “Ending World Hunger.”