COVID-19 - It's the Grinch that's stolen Christmas for thousands around the country and not just in the past few years but for this year too.
One health expert estimates around 85,000 people currently have the virus with a further 12,000 likely to be infected today.
Newshub spoke to one woman who had to spend her Christmas Day in isolation.
It's a beautiful day in the capital with the perfect weather to enjoy Christmas with lots of family and friends.
But not for Kylie Achilles as she is stuck in isolation.
"I've managed to avoid it for the last two years and I thought wouldn't it be cool to be one of the only ones who don't get it and then I thought, 'Nah, knowing my Christmas I'll get it' and yeah Christmas I got it. Merry Christmas to me," Achilles said.
The dreaded positive result was an early and unwanted gift.
"[It] felt like my head was in a vice and I thought, 'I better just check' so I checked and I had two bright lines and I'm like, 'Ya kidding me'," Achilles said.
Sadly she's not alone with tens of thousands of people isolating on Christmas Day as the country experiences a resurgence of COVID-19 cases.
"We're obviously in our third Omicron wave of the year and unfortunately, it is coinciding with the holiday period," epidemiologist Professor Michael Baker said.
The most recent update on case numbers from the Ministry of Health was released last Monday.
It showed there were 42,000 cases and almost 600 people with the virus in hospital.
Prof Baker said we could expect to see 12,000 new infections on Christmas alone.
"[This] means effectively we estimate about 85,000 people will be infected with COVID-19 at the moment and potentially infectious to others so that's the group that really needs to isolate for seven days."
Immunologist Dr Dianne Sika-Paotonu told Newshub even though it's summer, COVID is still around.
"We've still got work to do so it's really important that we keep watching out for one another."
We can do that by following the COVID-19 rules everyone knows so well.
"If we're unwell and if we're sick stay at home, but importantly staying away from other people," Dr Sika-Paotonu said.
Health experts said sticking to the rules really will save lives
Achillies said isolation wasn't so bad after all as well.
"Got my togs on, been doing the garden and having a sip of wine every now and then enjoying the sun so it's great."
On the bright side at least she'll be out for New Year's although by then thousands of newly infected people will be stuck at home because COVID doesn't care if it's Christmas or the holidays.
