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Ready or not, the holidays are here. They are supposed to be the most wonderful times of the year but for many Alabamians, the holiday season turns out to be the most stressful time of the year.

Stress is a part of everyday life. There will always be pressures that can create stress. What makes these pressures stressful are not the events, but the way people deal with them, says Dr. Ellen Abell, a family and child development specialist with the Alabama Cooperative Extension System.

Holiday stress comes in many forms. Too high an expectation for what the holiday should be or how family and friends should act or feel is one form. Often, these high expectations are reinforced by the large numbers of cards, advertisements, movies and songs we