One year ago today a group from the California American Atheists converged on San Jose, California, to protest the display of a nativity scene in a city park. The display is part of a larger one called Christmas in the Park that includes other symbols of the Christmas season. The atheists were protesting the use of public property to display Christian symbols and the use of public funds to support it. Christmas in the Park is supported in part by San Jose's Convention and Visitors Bureau.

Sixteen protesters in all were there. One of them was dressed like Uncle Sam. Another wore a Santa costume and carried a sign that said: "I am god [little "g"] with training wheels." The most interesting sign was the one that read: "the holiday season is more than just Christmas." The group was pleased with their efforts. The local ABC affiliate covered the protest, which gave them a larger audience for their complaints. Their own assessment of the event goes like this: "It was a very successful event. It helped to raise the issue of public holiday religious displays in the public's consciousness as well as promote American Atheists and our position."1

As much as this story might infuriate us to think that people would object to the display of a nativity scene, we should ac- knowledge that the real Christmas has always had a hard time being recognized. Through the years cultures have imposed themselves on Christmas and sometimes succeeded in crowding out the Christ of Christmas. And I'm afraid there is no sign of these culture wars letting up any time soon. We see it everywhere. Santa is more prominent than the baby Jesus. People spend more time shopping for and wrapping presents than they spend in Christmas services. Spending for each other is many times over what we give in honor of the One whose birth is remembered at Christmas.

What's a Christian to do? In light of the battle for Christmas waged every year between the sacred and the secular, what are we to do?

First, let's understand the problem. Over the years Christmas has sustained two kinds of losses to culture. There are traditions that began as part of the religious side of Christmas but gradually lost that symbolism and are now only secular, and there are secular traditions that have grown to the point that they leave less and less place for the baby Jesus in our Christmas celebrations.

The Christmas tree is a good example of the first kind of loss. There is a popular legend that says the practice of decorating an evergreen tree at Christmas began with Martin Luther almost 500 years ago. As the legend goes, Luther was walking one night and looking up at the starry sky through the branches of a tree. He was struck with the idea of a tree having lights and hurried home to place candles on the branches of a tree.

On the medieval church calendar December 24 was Adam and Eve Day. The story of their fall into sin included a "paradise tree" representing the tree of the Life in the Garden of Eden, the fruit of which Adam and Eve ate in disobedience of God. This story was told as part of the preparation of the celebrations of Christ's birth the next day.