The spirit of Christmas past. (Hat tip: zombie.)

Paris — Santa Claus is facing tough times in Europe. So, for that matter, are the Virgin Mary, Joseph and even baby Jesus.

From Paris to Palermo, Christmas — make that the holiday season — has fallen afoul of political correctness and growing secularity in a region that spawned some of the oldest yuletide traditions.

Even the humble Christmas tree is under attack.

Consider the fate of one innocent conifer, standing at the entrance hall of Van Dongen high school, outside Paris. Like other schools around France, Van Dongen is coming to grips with a new French law, directed at female Muslim students who wear veils, that bans conspicuous religious symbols in public schools.

When a pair of students complained about the tree, it was promptly removed — and only reinstated after teachers issued a statement that Christmas trees were pagan symbols long before they were Christian ones.

The same law prompted teachers in the northern French town of Coudekerque- Branche to ship back 1,300 boxes of chocolates to the city hall that donated them because the candy was shaped like crosses and Saint Nicholas figures.

“There were a few problems of understanding,” conceded Helen Quettu, a regional high school spokeswoman. “But it was only one incident.”