Despite being marketed as a time of joy and happiness, Christmas is not for everyone.
It can be a hugely stressful and expensive time of the year, and many are glad when it is over.
And if new figures by Trade Me are anything to go by, the grinchiest place of all is Auckland.
Cantabrians, on the other hand, topped the list as the biggest fans of the festive season.
According to a survey of 2120 people by the online auction site, 33 percent of Cantabrians said they love Christmas, compared to just 27 percent of Aucklanders.
Despite they way we feel about it, it seems more Kiwis are taking a preemptive approach to the silly season.
Fifty-one percent of us had all their shopping finished before December even started, the figures showed. That was up from 46 percent last year.
A quarter of participants were even more prepared, having their shopping done and dusted by the end of October.
The figures showed that 38 percent of Kiwis spend between $25 and $50 on each present, with a third of us dropping $200-$500 on our total Christmas haul.
All that shopping is not just directed at others though.
"Forty-seven percent of Kiwis admitted to getting distracted while Christmas shopping, buying things for themselves," says Lisa Stewart, Trade Me's head of marketplace.
Forty-eight percent of women said they treated themselves, compared to 45 percent of men.
But it's not about ourselves - 52 percent of those surveyed said they donate either time or money to charity during the season.
That feeling of responsibility was also evident in the fact that 31 percent of people said they were buying second-hand gifts based on environmental concerns.
Buying gifts isn't always easy, and the figures showed that partners were the trickiest people to buy for.
"Many of us stress about getting the perfect gift for those who are closest to us," says Stewart. "There are any number of factors that can contribute to this, from partners who put a spanner in the Christmas shopping by just buying themselves what they want immediately, to those who can be fussy or just don't seem to want anything."
The vote for the worst presents were for socks and candles.
