Baghdad, Iraq ? Iraqi children mobbed two American soldiers in Santa hats as they handed out stuffed animals Tuesday. Not far away, an Iraqi Christian woman sat in an otherwise empty church, praying for peace.

While U.S. troops, buoyed by the capture of Saddam Hussein, gear up for big Christmas celebrations, the small community of Iraqi Christians is preparing for a low-key holiday, with many congregations postponing midnight services until daybreak because of the violence that still plagues the country.

The holiday brings mixed feelings for Iraq’s 700,000 Christians. There are prayers for a better future, but also some fears that if unrest continues, it could revive a flight of Christians, along with other Iraqis, who left the country during the crippling economic sanctions of the 1990s. During that time, the number of Christians fell from more than a million, as many left in search of better lives in Europe, North America and elsewhere.

As a light rain fell outside, Nadal Salman, 44, sat alone Tuesday in a 17th century stone church, praying for peace. Before her was a large painted icon so weathered the image of the Virgin Mary holding baby Jesus could barely be seen.

The church is among those that will have services Christmas morning instead of on Christmas Eve as customary. Worshippers have been told not to bring bags, for fear an attacker could slip past with a bomb.

“The situation is not normal; it’s scary,” Salman said, her face framed with a gold scarf. “But God is great, and the Virgin Mary is with the Iraqi people.”

Further dampening the holiday, she said, many families will not gather for big dinners to avoid having to return home on nighttime streets. Most Iraqi Christians belong to the Chaldean Church, an ancient eastern-rite Catholic church.

Not far from where Salman was praying Tuesday, Spc. Chad Wilkerson, 23, of Clarksville, Tenn., swapped his camouflage battle helmet for a red Santa hat as he carried a box of stuffed animals from a muddy Humvee. Dozens of children living in drab, rundown high-rise apartment buildings ran up to him. Others sped up on bicycles.

“They don’t know how to handle generosity. They just attack,” Wilkerson said of the children. He said some of the children living in the compound seem to be street orphans. “I pulled two kids out of the Dumpster one night,” he said.

An Iraqi security worker stands at a toy shop in Baghdad. About 700,000 of the country's 22 million people are Christians, with the vast majority of the population Shiite or Sunni Muslim. Iraqi Christians plan low-key celebrations for Christmas, fearing backlash for their faith.

Specialist Chad Wilkerson of Clarksville, Tenn., distributes gifts to Iraqi children in Baghdad. Tuesday's toy distribution was ahead of Christmas celebrations.