Instead of jingle bells this Christmas, many Kiwis are hearing alarm bells.
Tough financial times mean several community organisations are rushed off their feet delivering gifts of food and toys.
And many are saying they've never experienced a period quite like this.
It was pass-the-parcel in Te Kūiti on Friday morning, but no, it wasn't a game.
Instead, it was Dave 'Brown Buttabean' Letele and the Buttabean Movement hitting the road to deliver Christmas care packages to one of our smaller communities.
"I've never seen it like this, and the sad thing is, I don't see it getting better for a long time," Letele told Newshub.
One truck and two vanloads of groceries and presents gave some festive relief to those in need.
"When they saw the scale of it, the waterworks started and they just broke down," Letele said.
"We said at the beginning of 2023 we thought this would be one of the hardest years people had ever seen. It's probably been worse than that," said Murray Edridge, from Wellington City Mission.
Higher interest rates and fuel prices mean organisations in Christchurch and Wellington are sharing the same sentiment.
The Christchurch Methodist Mission received and delivered more than 150 hampers on Thursday.
"That consists of 650 individuals, and of that there's about 400 children," said Glenda Marshall, from the Methodist Mission.
"When I first started I think we did 50 hampers."
But despite the tough times, people are still reaching into their pockets, doing what they can to share.
"We've probably seen more generosity this Christmas, than we've ever seen in our community before," Edridge told Newshub.
"You feel it's more personalised," said donor Terri Gledhill.
"It had the children's names, their ages and their passions. Everyday people are finding it tough, not just a certain number," she told Newshub.
Those on the frontline are urging the Government to make ambitious New Years' resolutions.
"It would be lovely to say we get to the end of next year and it will be better, I suspect it may be harder again," said Edridge.
"This current Government, they need to stop squabbling and stop the petty stuff. There are literally starving children right now. Right now there's people with no food, living in cars, living on the streets," Letele said.
Greater outcomes on the wishlist this Christmas for next year's.
