The next six weeks will be extremely difficult for small businesses that have already been hit hard by the Covid-19 pandemic as they close again due to Level 5 restrictions.
It's not all doom and gloom though with plenty of Irish consumers looking to back local businesses with online shopping.
One positive story to come out of the last few weeks is a new business called Flying Elephant.
Founders Michael Keelan and Max Fox previously ran a thriving events business but when the Covid-19 pandemic hit they were forced to reinvent themselves and they have now found a new market selling Christmas toys.
Mr Keelan told BreakingNews.ie: "We had around 60 jobs cancelled before Paddy's Day. I thought, 'let's go back to the drawing board and see what we can do'."
He explained that their business model is all about looking for a niche area in the market.
They initially found this in custom made desks for people working from home as a result of the pandemic.
There are opportunities out there you just have to find them.
The duo went back into the events business briefly but this ground to a halt as new restrictions came in.
"We had returned to a bit of event work but once Dublin went into lockdown that was killed off, so we said 'right, we need something busy to keep us going up until Christmas'. We just had a sit down and looked for little niches in the market and ideas for products.
"A few of the lads here have kids so we just talked about what they'd like, what would be useful, and we have a new range launching on Monday so it's gone well so far thank god."
Mr Keelan said he was employing 25-30 people at one point, this number is now down to 17 and he's determined to keep his staff in employment.
"We've a great team behind us that took years to put together so it's important to hold on to them, we don't want to lose anyone. A lot of businesses like us are on the ground at the moment so it's good to survive and keep going."
He said the various buy Irish campaigns that have been launched will be crucial for all small businesses in the buildup to Christmas.
"We've been pushing that and I know all of us in here are looking at completely different gifts for people compared to what we usually would have bought. We've been doing ok but we want to give to other businesses where we can.
"People are keen to support local companies and brands this year."
Working in Christmas toys is something that the staff at Flying Elephant enjoy, with helping to 'keep people's spirits high' one of the bonuses.
"It's nice, Christmas is starting early for us this year. We used to do grottos in shopping centres and that kind of thing so it's nice to still have involvement with Christmas so we're hoping this year will be busy and we can help to keep people's spirits high.
"There's a great team here so when we decide to flick the switch on something we can do it overnight, it doesn't take weeks and weeks. It's idea, next day happening, then out in the domain the following day. It's about being adaptable, chopping and changing so you can keep moving forward."
Mr Keelan said thinking outside the box is crucial, adding that his business had no online presence before Flying Elephant.
He encouraged other businesses to make the leap to online selling.
"That's what you have to do, there are opportunities out there you just have to find them. It's hard but you have to keep on looking, the key thing is just never give up. The day you give up is the day you're finished.
"We were completely a business to business based company before all this. We didn't deal with the public in any way, shape or form. We had very little online presence, it was just a basic website. We managed to adapt fairly quickly. It is doable, we hit our stumbling blocks along the way but we managed to learn as we did it."
