Gretchen's Take: Celebrating joyous Christmas traditions

A large majority of Americans will rejoice on this holiday

Today is Christmas Eve. I know at my house, that means church, where the highlight is lighting candles and singing Silent Night.

We will eat a lot of food, including Swedish staples like, Lefse, a thin potato pancake that you slather with butter and sugar and roll up like a cigar.

My kids will play Christmas carols on the piano for us.

Our tradition is to open all of our gifts on Christmas Eve and then get ready for Santa! Don't forget to leave treats for the reindeer too!

So here's the question for you today as you're scurrying around to get everything done! Does getting ready for Christmas make you feel more joyful or stressful?

The good news is, most Americans find the holiday season more enjoyable! 44 percent say its joyful with only 27 percent saying its stressful!

Here's the best news of all. Nearly all Americans celebrate Christmas at 94 percent, while 6 percent celebrate Hanukkah, and 3 percent celebrate Kwaanza.

With these stats, I don’t know why we continue to pacify the few who find Christmas offensive! Most of us love it, want to celebrate it, and carry on our family and ethnic traditions. Merry Christmas as we celebrate the child of Christ!