It's a time for family and celebration.
Yet for an increasingly unlucky number, this Christmas looks set to be spent in isolation.
As the number of coronavirus cases continues to soar, thousands in Greater Manchester and more than a million people across the country have had to shelve their festive plans after testing positive for the virus.
Leslie Choudhary, from Brinnington in Stockport, is one of those who will be self-isolating at Christmas.
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The 47-year-old warehouse worker had hoped to spend Christmas Day with his wife, daughter and grandchildren before becoming infected.
"For me, Christmas is cancelled," he said. "It's horrible.
"My daughter has moved into a new house and we were going to see her. She was all excited for that.
"I have a two-and-a-half-year-old granddaughter and it would have been the first Christmas where she knew what was happening.
"When they are young, these are the things you want to remember."
Mr Choudhary says he has now come to terms with the fact he will be spending Christmas alone.
However, he has decided to isolate away from his wife, who does not have the virus, so that she can still celebrate with their loved ones.
"I will just stay in my room so she can enjoy some of it," he said.
"I'll be spending Christmas watching rubbish telly and eating chocolate. The only way I'm going to speak to anyone is over video call.
"I like my own company, to be fair. It's more of a struggle for my partner with the solitude and not speaking to anyone."
Stacey Roberts, from Rochdale, has also had to 'cancel everything' after testing positive for the virus last weekend.
"We were going to have family over but we've had to tell them no," she said.
"I bought everything in for Christmas dinner, but I can't do it now. It's just me, my husband and the three kids.
"They won't come anywhere near me because they don't watch to catch it."
On a normal year, Stacey, her husband Mark and their children spend Christmas morning at her parents' house.
They then head back home to have Christmas dinner with Mark's family.
Instead, Stacey faces a miserable festive period, waiting for her isolation period to end.
The virus has sapped her energy, as well as her taste and smell, so even a scaled-down Christmas dinner is off the cards.
"Everyone is disappointed and have said we'll do it on New Year's Eve, but it's not the same," said Stacey, 41.
"I can't even have my granddaughter on Boxing Day. All her presents are in the house but she'll have to wait until next week.
"It's going to be a bit of a crap year. I wouldn't wish it on anyone."
Emma Syddall, from Bolton, was due to spend Christmas Day with her family before testing positive for Covid.
The 29-year-old said that while having to tell her three-year-old nephew she could no longer make it was 'heartbreaking', she intends to make the most of the day anyway.
She recently moved into an apartment with her boyfriend, and it will be the couple's first Christmas together.
"It's a bit rubbish but we're just planning on doing some video calls with family," she explained.
"We will make the best of it and have a nice cosy Christmas and play some board games.
"It's not the original plan, but that's out of our control."
Emma and her boyfriend began experiencing 'cold-like symptoms' last Friday so took PCR tests on Saturday, which came back positive.
It means they must now isolate until Boxing Day, scuppering their Christmas plans.
"We were disappointed," she said. "I was quite stressed because I'm a self-employed beauty therapist so this week is my busiest of the year.
"I've had to cancel all my clients.
"This is the first time either of us has tested positive. We've managed to go 22 months without catching it and then caught it at the worst possible time.
"The new variant is rife, so a lot of people are going to be in the same situation."
