While that may be the reality for many, it's quite the opposite for some people.

Terry Neal, drug and alcohol counsellor in Fort Liard, said experience has taught him the holiday period can be very depressing for those who have lost family members.

Those whose relatives have died and those who have lost custody of children can be gripped by feelings of loneliness and emptiness because family is closely associated with Christmas, Neal suggested.

"Say a father or mother made Christmas special. If they're no longer there, Christmas isn't like it used to be. It leaves a big hole," he said.

"Time does help, but often people get lost in drugs and alcohol. Then the issues are never dealt with, they just kind of grow."

Individuals work through grief in different ways, over different periods of time, he said.

For those in need of support over the holiday period, there is a toll-free crisis line -- 1-800-661-0846 -- available for the Nats' Ejee K'eh treatment centre in Hay River, he noted, adding that he will be away during the Christmas period.

"And there's social workers, there's friends, family, whoever is someone to latch onto," said Neal.

Social workers are considered an essential service.

Therefore they are in the office or on-call over the holidays for child protection, family violence or suicidal individuals, according to social worker Janice Wick.

"We are there if somebody needs to pick up the phone. There will be a social worker on the other end of it," Wick said.

Another group of people susceptible to holiday despair are those who don't have much money.

Society's emphasis on the commercialism of Christmas can result in low-income families feeling blue, Neal noted.

"It's hard on the kids if they don't get what their neighbours get, and there's no tree and no food," he explained.

"It's a really tough time for a huge segment of the population."