Operation Christmas was a campaign launched by the Colombian military during the Christmas season of 2010 to encourage FARC guerrillas to demobilize. The military selected nine 75-foot trees along paths the insurgents used and decorated them with Christmas lights and a message encouraging them to come home. The operation was deemed a success; 331 guerrillas demobilized while the campaign was active, a 30% increase from the previous year. It was followed by Operation Rivers of Light, where civilians close to the conflict areas as well as friends and relatives of guerrillas were encouraged to send a Christmas letter in floating LED-illuminated balls via rivers used by the insurgents. 180 guerrillas demobilized during the campaign's duration, including one of FARC's main bomb makers. A study