For Napier woman Louella Bennett and her children it has been a tough start to the Christmas season, although friends and even strangers in the community have created a bright spark amid the gloom.
Last Monday the Willowbank Rd semi-rural house they had been renting for the past four months was gutted by fire.
Ms Bennett said they lost pretty well everything, including her two beloved dogs Toko and Maiden and one of three kittens which also shared the house.
However, since word got around on Facebook about the fire, the response had been heartening.
"People have come forward to drop things off to help us out - some people I don't even know," she said as the family yesterday began putting things back together at a new rental property the landlord had found for them in Onekawa.
"A lady even sent us pizzas."
Another woman, along with a friend of Ms Bennett's, is going to buy a Christmas tree and has asked for people to help by contributing a piece of decoration each.
"Either new or off their own tree," she said, adding they wanted to create some Christmas spirit for the family.
Any decorations can be popped into her letterbox at 9 Arnold St, Onekawa.
Ms Bennett said she was delighted at what people were doing and said it helped take away some of the pain of losing her two dogs.
She said she had done all she could to try to get them to safety but the flames and heavy smoke, and the speed at which the fire took hold, prevented her getting them out.
"It just all went up so fast - it was terrible," she said.
The fire broke out in the kitchen about midnight after one of her sons had been using the stove.
Ms Bennett said the stove had been faulty and had previously been looked at, although still had problems with a element.
The fire started after her son had left the kitchen and her 15-year-old daughter Willow then smelled smoke.
"I thought someone was burning toast - I went into the kitchen, saw the flames, and screamed."
Her cries alerted Ms Bennett who was in her room at the far end of the house.
They managed to get one of their dogs out, and its puppies, but the others were not so lucky.
"The power went out and I was in the hall with an armful of puppies," her daughter said.
Ms Bennett said her daughter and Hemi, a son-in-law who was staying with them, all got out but she then realised two of her boys were not there - not knowing they had gone for a drive earlier.
She was overwhelmed with relief when they arrived back a short time later - as were they as they had seen the distant flames as they approached and feared their mum was still inside.
About four fire appliances went to the scene and there were some initial issues with water supply to the isolated property. Ms Bennett said she was grateful her children were okay and grateful for the support she had received. One of the first things she would do when "everything is all back together" would be look at getting insurance.