It was a peaceful Christmas for Iraqi Christians, who felt safe enough this year to celebrate the holiday. Last year, many were too scared to openly celebrate, but those same people found themselves going to church to remember the birth of Jesus.

Families streamed into the church’s courtyard, wrapped in heavy winter jackets to protect them from the early morning chill. Young children with neatly combed hair held their parents’ hands, and women stopped by the front door to pick through a basket of small lacy headscarves, placing them over their hair before walking in.

The pews were almost full—women toward the back and on the right side of the church, the men on the left—and still more people streamed in. Outside, police armed with automatic rifles manned a checkpoint at the corner of the narrow street, searching every passing car for possible bombs.

Christians have often been the target of attacks by Islamic extremists in Iraq, forcing tens of thousands to flee. Many of those who stayed were isolated in neighborhoods protected by barricades and checkpoints. Less than 3 percent of Iraq’s 26 million people are Christians—the majority Chaldean-Assyrians and Armenians, with small numbers of Roman Catholics.

The violence in Iraq is down almost 60% since June. The drop in terrorist attacks has lead many in Iraq to have hope about their future. Remember, this is a result of a failed surge and a war that we lost, according to Harry Reid anyway. If he and his cohorts had their way, these people would be hiding this Christmas, instead of worshiping in church.